Fewer children smoking and getting drunk, but increase in dieting and feeling low

There has been an overall decrease across all substance use measures, with the number of children who said they smoked in 2018 down by 25% on the 1998 figure.

Fewer children are smoking and getting drunk than 20 years ago, but more children are reporting that they are on a diet or that they are feeling low.

That’s according to the latest statistics from the 'Health Behaviour in school-aged Children in Ireland (HBSC) from 1998-2018' report, which is carried out every four years in collaboration with the World Health Organization.