UK Teenagers Shun Drugs For A Healthier Lifestyle

Teenagers in England are shunning drink and drugs for a cleaner lifestyle, say health officials. A survey of 6,500 children aged between 11 and 15 showed the numbers taking drugs, smoking and drinking alcohol had all fallen over the past decade.

A Report by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre found 17% had tried drugs at least once in 2011, compared with 29% in 2001. The team said youngsters appeared to be living increasingly healthy lifestyles.


The survey, which questions a selection of children at English secondary schools, is carried out every year to monitor reported use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. The latest poll, carried out between September and December last year, found the number of children at each age who said they had taken drugs in the preceding 12 months was down.

Among 15-year-olds, the number fell from 39% in 2001 to 23% in 2011. Only 3% of 11-year-olds had taken drugs.

Cannabis was the most commonly used drug, although its was also down. The survey also found the proportion of 11-to-15-year-olds smoking was the lowest since the polling began in 1982, and the number of "regular" smokers had halved in the past decade. Five per cent said they smoked at least one cigarette a week compared with 10% in 2001. Just 25% said they had tried cigarettes at least once.

The proportion drinking alcohol at least once has dropped to under half - 45%, compared with 61% per cent in 2001. Only 7% reported drinking regularly, down from 20% 10 years ago.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, said: "The report shows that pupils appear to be leading an increasingly clean-living lifestyle and are less likely to take drugs as well as cigarettes and alcohol.

"All this material will be of immense interest to those who work with young people and aim to steer them towards a healthier way of life."

Siobhan McCann, of the charity Drinkaware, said: "While the decline in the number of children trying alcohol is good news, the report still shows there are 360,000 young people who reported drinking alcohol in the last week alone."

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Experts Warn Health Risks of Cannabis 'Underestimated'

Experts are warning that the public dangerously underestimates the health risks linked to smoking cannabis.

The British Lung Foundation carried out a survey of 1,000 adults and found a third wrongly believed cannabis did not harm health. And 88% incorrectly thought tobacco cigarettes were more harmful than cannabis ones - when the risk of lung cancer is actually 20 times higher.

Latest figures show that 30% of 16-59 year-olds in England and Wales have used cannabis in their lifetimes.

A new report from the BLF says there are established scientific links between smoking cannabis and tuberculosis, acute bronchitis and lung cancer. Part of the reason for this, say the experts, is that people smoking cannabis take deeper puffs and hold them for longer than when smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the BLF said: "It is alarming that, while new research continues to reveal the multiple health consequences of smoking cannabis, there is still a dangerous lack of public awareness of quite how harmful this drug can be.

"This is not a niche problem - cannabis is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the UK, with almost a third of the population having tried it.

"We therefore need a serious public health campaign - of the kind that has helped raise awareness of the dangers of eating fatty foods or smoking tobacco - to finally dispel the myth that smoking cannabis is somehow a safe pastime."

The BLF's report says there should be a public education programme to raise awareness of the impact of smoking cannabis and increased investment in research into the health consequences of its use.

The full report: The Impact of Cannabis on Your Lungs, which covers both the health risks and includes statistics on its use in the UK is freely available to download here.

Social Determinants Of Health & Well-being Among Young People

The World Health Organisation has published a new report which looks at how health and well-being inschool-aged children in determined by their social circumstances.

The report gives the results of the 2009/2010 HBSC survey, covering 39 countries and regions across the European Region and North America. It collected data from 11, 13 and 15-year-olds on 60 topics related to their health and well-being, social environments and behaviour. Responding to the survey, the young people described their social context (relations with family, peers and school), physical health and satisfaction with life, health behaviours (patterns of eating, tooth brushing and physical activity) and risk behaviours (use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, sexual behaviour, fighting and bullying). Statistical analyses were carried out to identify meaningful differences in the prevalence of health and social indicators by gender, age group and levels of family affluence.

The report is available to view here: http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/Life-stages/child-and-adolescent-health/publications/2012/social-determinants-of-health-and-well-being-among-young-people.-health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-hbsc-study

New Report & Film Reveal The Shocking Impact Of Tobacco Packagin On Children

New research published by Cancer Research UK claims that tobacco companies are designing cigarette packs to resemble bottles of perfume or with lids that flip open like a lighter to lure young people into smoking. It said the findings provided a “chilling insight” into the power of branding and marketing by the tobacco industry.

Young people and women are identified as target groups to aim tobacco packaging at according to the new report which has been published alongside a short film that illustrates children's reactions to the slickly designed cigarette packs.

You can view both the film and report here: Tobacco packaging.