Smoking is initiated and established primarily during adolescence. Smoking leads to detrimental health consequences. For most smoking-related cancers, the risk rises as the individual continues to smoke for longer period of time. Youth smoking can also cause early heart diseases and damages to the developing lungs. Youth are susceptible to nicotine addiction and many of them continue to smoke throughout adulthood. Therefore, prevention of smoking in youth is crucial public health priority.
Statistics on Smoking among Local Youth
(1) Proportion of primary 4 to 6 students by smoking status and sex, in the school year 2010/11,2012/13 and 2014/15
|
|
2010/11
|
2012/13
|
2014/15
|
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
|
Male
|
0.2%
|
3.7%
|
96.3%
|
0.5%
|
3.3%
|
96.7%
|
0.4%
|
3.9%
|
96.1%
|
|
Female
|
0.2%
|
1.6%
|
98.4%
|
#
|
1.7%
|
98.3%
|
0.1%
|
1.6%
|
98.4%
|
|
Overall
|
0.2%
|
2.7%
|
97.3%
|
0.3%
|
2.5%
|
97.5%
|
0.2%
|
2.8%
|
97.2%
|
(2) Proportion of secondary students by smoking status and sex, in the school year 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2014/15
|
|
2010/11
|
2012/13
|
2014/15
|
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
Current
|
Ever
|
Never
|
|
Male
|
3.8%
|
17.0%
|
83.0%
|
3.7%
|
16.0%
|
84.0%
|
3.5%
|
14.8%
|
85.2%
|
|
Female
|
2.6%
|
14.4%
|
85.6%
|
2.9%
|
13.9%
|
86.1%
|
1.9%
|
10.9%
|
89.1%
|
|
Overall
|
3.2%
|
15.7%
|
84.3%
|
3.3%
|
15.0%
|
85.0%
|
2.7%
|
12.9%
|
87.1%
|
Notes:
- # Estimates based on very small number of sample counts and related statistics derived from such estimates are suppressed in the table due to large sampling errors.
- Current smoking was defined as any smoking in the past 30 days for those reported that they smoked daily or smoked occassionally (not daily).
- Ever smoking referred to any smoking in the past or at present and irrespective of frequency, including experimental, ex-occasional, ex-daily, occasional and daily smoking.
- The 2012/13 and 2014/15 surveys covered students from S6 under the New Senior Secondary academic structure while the survey conducted in 2010/11 covered students from S6 and S7 under the old academic structure.
Sources of data:
School-based Surveys on Smoking among Students in 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2014/15. Hong Kong SAR: Food and Health Bureau. For more survey details, please refer to the Thematic Household Survey Report No. 48, No. 53 and No. 59.