Young people broadly welcome the idea of the Government’s smokefree generation policy and see it as a chance to free their generation from harmful addiction, according to a study led by the University of Nottingham.
Smoking tobacco kills more people than any other preventable cause. The UK Government are aiming for fewer than five in 100 people to smoke by 2030, however, one study estimates 127,500 people aged between 18 and 25 currently pick up smoking each year.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee reports on Thursday 30 January and the Bill will return to the House of Commons for debate and final vote among MPs in the coming months.
If passed, the Bill will stop children who turned 15 last year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes or other tobacco products.
A new study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research led by Nathan Davies, from the Nottingham Centre for Public Health and Epidemiology, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), set out to find out what young people in England think about changing the law on how old you must be to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes.
Mr Davies said: “Nearly all smokers start smoking when they are young, so if we can prevent people from starting in their youth, they are unlikely to begin in later life. Little was known about what young people think about the proposed smokefree generation policy we wanted to find out if they agreed with it in principle and its implementation.”
The researchers held focus groups with participants aged between 12 and 21. Participants were chosen to include those from areas of different areas and for use of tobacco or e-cigarettes.
The focus groups showed that:
“The study conversations show it is really important that young people are involved in the design and implementation of the smokefree generation,” said Mr Davies. “It is reassuring that the general feeling was support for the policy. Young people want the smokefree generation done properly – and that means the Government giving Trading Standards the resources to enforce it from day one.”
Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said, “These interviews reinforce survey results which find strong support for the phased-out sale of tobacco among those who the policy will impact. MPs who are anxious that they are curbing the choices of future generations should recognise that ending the sale of tobacco is freeing young people from the risk of life-long addiction and chronic illness. The next generation sees this legislation as a gift not a burden and want to be part of creating a smokefree future for all.”
The full results of the study can be found here .
Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Survey
People
Perceptions of Children and Young People in England on the Smokefree Generation Policy: A Focus Group Study
17-Dec-2024