Events

Kick Butts Day – 20th March 2013

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco.

Kick Butts Day website

ASH Scotland Conference – 20th & 21st June 2013

‘Towards a generation free from tobacco’

ASH Scotland website

UKNSCC – 27th & 28th June 2013

Come and find us at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference.

UKNSCC website

ASSIST facts

Over 40,000 Year 8 students have now taken part in ASSIST.
The evidence-based research suggests that approximately 1,500 young people will not go on to take up smoking as a result.
Over 250 schools have been involved in the programme.
Over 100 PCT and Local Authority staff have been trained to deliver ASSIST.

Smoking facts

1 Around 10 million adults smoke in the U.K.
2 Smoking causes nearly 20% of deaths in England.
3 Cigarettes are responsible for more than 11.000 deaths worldwide every day.
4 Children who start smoking before the age of 16 are twice as likely to continue as adults (compared to those who take up the habit later).
5 Treating smoking related illnesses costs the National Health Service around £2.7 billion pounds every year.
6 86% of 12 to 17 year olds who smoke prefer the 3 most heavily advertised brands.

Childhood smokers

While less than 1% of 11 and 12-year old children smoke, by the age of 15 years, 15% of children in England report being regular smokers despite the fact that it is illegal to sell any tobacco product to under 18s. There is evidence that actual smoking rates among 15-year olds may be higher than reported, based on measurements of cotinine in saliva, with 21% of 15-year old boys and 19% of 15-year old girls having cotinine levels indicative of active smoking.

In 2009, 6% of children aged 11-15 years smoked at least one cigarette each week: 7% of girls and 5% of boys.

Since 1986, girls have had consistently higher rates of smoking than boys: in 2009, 16% of 15-year old girls were regular smokers compared to 14% of boys. On average, regular child smokers smoke 38 cigarettes per week.