TEENAGE girls from across the region have picked up the habit of smoking in greater numbers here than in other parts of the country, according to new research.
Healthy lobbying organisation Smokefree North West reacted to the announcement by calling for new steps to be taken to curb the increase in young people picking up the habit.
A report from the Information Centre for Health and Social Care shows the North West has one of the highest rates of smoking among 11 to 15-year-old girls from across the UK.
This data was reinforced with the publication of the national General Lifestyle Survey which showed that smoking rates among young women aged 16 to 19 have increased across the country, with young women far more likely to smoke than young men.
Director of Smokefree North West, Andrea Crossfield, said: “It is now urgent that we work together across the public and voluntary sectors, with families and with communities, to reduce the number of young people taking up smoking to protect the health of future generations.
“We need to ‘turn off the tap’ of young people starting to smoke. There are almost 84,000 young smokers in the North West and 80 per cent of smokers start before they are 19 years old. This is tragic for the next generation and we must all pull together to do whatever it takes to stop smoking being a childhood addiction.”
Smokefree North West launched its cutting edge youth campaign Smoke and Mirrors last year with the making, production and screening of films highlighting the negative practices of the tobacco industry.
Hundreds of young people from across the North West took part in a film competition and attended a campaign weekend which led to three of the shortlisted films being produced by former Hollyoaks actors Matt Jeffries and Darren Littler.
Chairman of Smokefree North West, Dr Janet Atherton, added: “Smoke and Mirrors is an exciting opportunity for more young people to get involved in creating a tobacco free future for themselves and to protect others from the harm caused by tobacco. Compelling evidence from the US shows that young people are more likely to reject smoking if they take part in this type of campaign as traditional anti-smoking campaigns are not effective with young people.”
For more information go to www.seethroughtheillusion. co.uk.