New Zealand smoking rate remains high in role model occupations

Jan 23, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Wellington - Cigarette smoking has declined rapidly among many groups in New Zealand but remains high among some key role model professions, an Otago University research study has found.

Most of the occupations showed a marked decline in smokers, with health professionals, the uniformed services and sports and entertainment figures halving their smoking rate between 1981 and 2006. For most of the 'role model' occupations, including health professionals and school teachers, the researchers found that 10 per cent or fewer now smoke - far below the national average of 22 per cent in 2006 for all employed people.

Others such as prison officers (28 per cent), the armed forces (25 per cent), social workers (23 per cent), professional athletes (21 per cent), and actors, dancers and singers (20 per cent) had smoking rates close to or above the national average.

Smoking rates in 2006 ranged from over 45 per cent for Maori language teachers to under 4 per cent for doctors.

'There's been a major decline in smoking in many health jobs, as well as for most teachers, lecturers, ministers of religion and lawyers, where prevalence has reduced to less than 10 per cent, compared to a national average of 21.7 per cent,' lead researcher Professor Richard Edwards said.

'Addressing smoking among key occupations will be an important factor to achieve the government's goal of reducing smoking to near zero by 2025,' he said.

Smoking in all New Zealand workplaces has been banned for years and recently the government began implementing additional tax increases on all tobacco products.

The study compared census data between 1981 and 2006 on smoking prevalence by occupational groups which may be role models in society.