Year 2 Response Rates
Year 1 Response Rates
Submission on The Future of Tobacco Displays in New Zealand
Smoking Prevalence Among Children
Year 2 Response Rates
The second baseline questionnaire is now complete, and the response rates are even better than last year!
For the Baseline YR2, the response rates were:
Weymouth 87.2%
Manurewa 89.3%
Papatoetoe 93.7%
Kedgley 96.3%
Year 1 Response Rates
The first baseline questionnaire and the follow up questionnaire response rates have exceeded our expectations.
For the baseline YR1, the response rates were:
Kedgley 84%
Papatoetoe 79.4%
Manurewa 74%
Weymouth 69%
Prizes were awarded to each school including Smokefree Rugby balls, Netballs, Basketballs, Cones and Gear Bags.
For the follow up of parents of YR8 students only, the response rates were:
Kedgley 66.7%
Manurewa 47.5%
Papatoetoe 47.1%
Weymouth 26.6%
Submission on The Future of Tobacco Displays in New Zealand
In February 2008, the Auckland Tobacco Control Research Centre submitted a report to the Ministry of Health calling for a total ban of Tobacco Displays in New Zealand. The submission was based on results from Keeping Kids Smokefree Study, as follows:
Parents were asked. “What could we do to help you protect your children from smoke and taking up smoking?” Six percent of the 1576 parents who responded to this question made comments relevant to the restriction or ban of tobacco displays, even though the question does not directly ask for this type of response. Their responses are descriptive of legislative changes parents believe should be made to help protect their children from smoke and taking up smoking.
An overwhelming proportion of these comments were parents who wanted smoking to be completely banned (112).
“Ban smoking altogether.” (Māori Mother)
“Stop selling smokes.” (Pacific Mother)
Nine parents wanted tobacco purchasing locations to be restricted. This includes ideas such as not selling in supermarkets or dairies, allowing sales of tobacco products in age-restricted venues only, in tobacco stores only, or selling only through a chemist on prescription.
“Restrict the selling the tobacco based products, i.e. taken them out of supermarkets and dairies.” (Māori Mother)
Five parents specifically wanted shops to no longer have cigarettes displayed.
“Out of sight, out of mind. Remove smokes from sights in dairys, gas stations, etc. - Keep them under counter. Smoking areas should be out of sight to children.” (Māori Mother)
“Take all tobacco off the shelf.” (European Mother)
“Make sure they are not on public display at dairies, supermarkets, gas stations etc.”(European Mother)
A further fourteen parents wanted to keep children away from anything to do with cigarettes and thirteen parents wanted to ban any form of smoking advertising.
“Hide smoke away.” (Asian mother)
“Eliminate all the direct + covert cigarette advertising.” (European Mother)
Two parents commented on packaging; one wanted plain packaging and the other wanted more medical pictures.
At the end of 2007 YR8 parents were asked if they had seen, within the previous 6 months, people give or sell cigarettes to a child under 18 years of age (see Figure 1). 710 parents responded. Twenty percent of them had seen a local shop attendant or petrol station attendant sell cigarettes to a minor; 22% had seen an adult supply a minor with cigarettes and 31% of parents had seen other children supply cigarettes to a minor.
Should Cigarettes, loose tobacco and cigars should be banned from sale in New Zealand? About half of our parents agree that tobacco products should be banned (see Figure 2).
Smoking Prevalence Among Children
We also looked at our data collected at the beginning of the 2007 school year from 2227 students of the 4 South Auckland schools. The students ranged in age from 10-13, but most are 11 and 12 years of age. 18.4% (410) of the students had tried smoking and of those, 2.5% (105) were current smokers!
