Teens want help quitting smoking and drinking

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-19 00:01

New Zealand

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Many teenagers who smoke (cigarettes, vapes or cannabis) or drink alcohol want to stop, but find it hard to get help. A 2019 survey of New Zealand teenagers found that drinking alcohol and smoking vapes was more common than smoking cigarettes or cannabis. But the teenagers smoking cigarettes were most worried, with 2 out of 3 wanting to cut down. Teenage cigarette smoking was more common in small towns and in poorer areas, as well as among Māori, Pacific and LGBTQ+ teenagers. Many of these same groups also found it harder to get the help they needed to stop. The researchers said that more money should be spent on stopping drug harm in teenagers, especially in the groups affected the most.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

Drug harm prevention needs among adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: findings from the Youth19 Survey

Many teens in Aotearoa are worried about their drug use—and want help to quit. New research using data from over 7,700 secondary students shows that young people, especially those using tobacco, often want to quit but many struggle to access support. Māori, Pacific, younger teens (under 16 years), LGBTQ+ youth and those in small towns, rural or socio-economically deprived areas are most affected. The findings highlight the urgent need for better prevention and early intervention where it’s needed most.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Funder: This work was supported by a Health Promotion Agency research grant.

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