Approximately 18% of New Zealanders smoke. When you turn that into numbers it’s approximately 700,000 smokers out of a population of just over four million. It’s still the leading cause of avoidable death in New Zealand.

Most smokers begin smoking in their teens – the average age is between 14 and 15. Smoking rates are unequally high among Maori and Pacific people – for 2008, smoking rates were highest
among Maori (45%), followed by Pacific (31%), European (21%) and Asian (12%) people.

Looking at our country’s children, 7% of year 10 and 12 students (9-13 year olds) smoked daily in 2008. Within this group 22% of Maori girls and 12% of Maori boys smoked, compared to 10% of girls and 8% of boys for other ethnicities.

While smoking is an individual addiction, it’s influenced heavily by the surrounding social environment. Students at low-decile schools have been shown to be three-to-four times more likely to be regular smokers than their high-decile counterparts. 

Managing smoking is a mix of influencing policy and legislation to decrease the number of those
who take up the habit (prevention), encouraging existing smokers to give up (promotion), and providing support to those who want to quit (cessation).

In New Zealand over the last five years, approximately 65% of smokers have made a quit attempt. Rather than simply going ‘cold turkey,’ increasing numbers are doing it through support services such as Quitline.

Evidence shows that stopping smoking, however late in life, will reduce your risk of premature death as well as improving your current and future health.

The Benefits of Quitting  

Time since quitting and the beneficial health changes that take place:

Time	Health Benefit
24 hours	Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris
48 hours	Carbon monoxide will be eliminated form the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved
72 hours	Breathing becomes easier Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase
2 – 12 weeks	Circulation improves
3 – 9 months	Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%.
1 year	Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker
10 years	Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker.
15 years	Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked

      
McEwen A, Hajek P, McRobbie H, West R. Manual of Smoking Cessatiom.2006