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Friday, July 24, 2009

Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2008 full report

This report contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). 7,798 pupils in 264 schools in England completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2008.

Approximately a third (32 per cent) of pupils have tried smoking at least once and 6 per cent of pupils smoke regularly (at least once a week). 52 per cent of pupils have tried alcohol at least once and 18 per cent drank alcohol in the last week. 22 per cent of pupils had ever tried drugs and 8 per cent had taken drugs in the last month.

For the first time, the 2008 survey explored the relationship between pupils' home context and whether they drank alcohol. Pupils are more than three times as likely to drink if they live with other people who do. The percentage who drank alcohol in the last week also increased with the number of other drinkers at home; for example, the percentage of pupils who have drunk alcohol in the last week increased from 5 per cent of those who live in non-drinking households to 31 per cent of those who live with three or more people who drank alcohol.


Read Full Report (PDF)

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