Teenage smoking rate drops by 28%

The rate at which young people in Ireland are smoking has plummeted, with a new study showing the dramatic impact of falls in peer smoking and increased difficulty in getting cigarettes in the first place.

The smoking rate among teenagers dropped by 28% over a 20-year period, with researchers claiming that the rate of adolescent smoking will reach the Tobacco Free Ireland target of 5% by 2025, given the rate of decline.

The research, published in medical journal BMJ Open, looked at trends in smoking among Irish adolescents aged 15–16 years between 1995 and 2015 and the factors associated with their smoking behaviours between 2007 and 2015.