Smoking bans not respected
Photo: Shutterstock
Smoking in decline, except amongst the young
Only 15% of Jewish Israeli adults smoke, shows a new study, but the number of younger smokers is on the rise; more than a third lit their first cigarette by 16
Only 15 percent of Jewish Israeli adults smoke, according to a new study published by New Wave Research just before World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The study was commissioned by the Israel Society of Pulmonology (ISP). Its findings show a decrease in the number of smokers compared to similar previous studies.
The data show that the critical age for beginning smoking is 16: 24 percent of respondents stated that they began smoking at that age. Three percent began smoking at 12, 12% began at 20, and 5% began after the age of 30.
13 year olds are smoking more than in the past (Photo: Shutterstock).
According to Dr. Amir Bar-Shai, a senior pulmonologist and an ISP board member, the study also raises cause for concern. "The phenomenon of youths from the age of 13 smoking more than in the past, despite awareness and educational campaigns in various fora, is very worrying," he said. "In addition, there is a false belief that smoking a hookah is less damaging than smoking cigarettes, when it's actually more damaging."
Three months ago, an order form the minister of education came into effect that forbids smoking on all school property, forbidding the establishment of a smoking room, and further prohibits smoking within ten meters of entrance to any educational establishment. However, according to Prof. Zvi Fridlander, the ISP's secretary, a representative check recently carried out showed that these instructions were not being enforced.
The study showed that amongst non-smokers, 71 percent said that they had never touched a cigarette, 12 percent stopped smoking more than a decade ago, and four percent stopped smoking a year ago. Said Fridlander, "Former smokers are the largest group they've ever been, especially in the past five years, and they should be congratulated."
