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	12% of 10 to 17-year-olds reported smoking in 2010 compared to 21% in 1998</h2>
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		The number of Irish teenagers and pre-teens who smoke has fallen significantly, according to a series of studies on the health behaviours of 10 to 17-year-olds.</p>
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		A report published yesterday on the four Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children Ireland studies carried out between 1998 and 2010 showed a downward trend in the number of 10 to17-year-olds who smoke.</p>
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		The report shows 12 per cent of this age group reported they were &ldquo;current smokers&rdquo; in 2010 compared to 21 per cent of teens and pre-teens who reported smoking in 1998.</p>
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		The latest of the four studies which was conducted in 2010 showed that there was no difference between smoking rates between boys and girls.</p>
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		The percentage of children who reported having their first cigarette at age 13 or younger has also dropped from 61 per cent in 2002 to 49 per cent in 2010.</p>
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		Drunkenness among children also fell slightly in the same time period.</p>
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		While 29.3 per cent of 10 to17-year olds reported having ever been drunk in 1998, that figure fell to 28.3 per cent in 2010.</p>
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		<strong>Risk factors</strong><br />
		However, Dr&nbsp;<a class="search" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=John%20Devlin&amp;article=true" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153); text-decoration: none; outline: none !important;">John Devlin</a>, deputy chief medical officer at the&nbsp;<a class="search" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_organisation=Department%20of%20Health&amp;article=true" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153); text-decoration: none; outline: none !important;">Department of Health</a>&nbsp;said despite positive progress as regards some key risk factors the study revealed some &ldquo;major problems&rdquo;.</p>
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		He described the 12 per cent of 10 to 17-year-olds who reported that they smoked as &ldquo;unacceptable&rdquo; adding: &ldquo;We are working towards 0 per cent and over the next couple of weeks we will have a tobacco policy which is going to set out exactly how we are going to do that&rdquo;.</p>
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		&ldquo;In terms of alcohol despite the fact that the trends again are actually going in the right direction the fact that one in five (10 to 17-year-olds) are getting drunk . . . is still a major problem.&rdquo;</p>
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		Dr Devlin also said it was &ldquo;disappointing&rdquo; that the number of young people who reported exercising four or more times a week had fallen in the 12-year-period covered by the surveys.</p>
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		<strong>Exercising low</strong><br />
		While 53.5 per cent of 10 to 17 year olds reported exercising four or more times a week in 1998 that figure fell to 50.5 per cent in 2010.</p>
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		At the publication of the report yesterday Minister for Health&nbsp;<a class="search" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_person=James%20Reilly&amp;article=true" style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153); text-decoration: none; outline: none !important;">James Reilly</a>&nbsp;said it provided grounds for optimism but also pointed to areas where there was room for improvement.</p>
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		&ldquo;We need to focus more on prevention and nowhere more is there a clear example of having to achieve this than in the area of tobacco,&rdquo; said the Minister.</p>
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		&ldquo;If we can prevent the next generation of children taking up smoking the use of tobacco in Ireland will disappear,&rdquo; he added.</p>
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		The report also showed a downward trend in the numbers of children who reported using cannabis. In the 1998 study 10.3 per cent of 10 to 17-year-olds said they had used cannabis in the 12 months preceding the study compared to 8.3 per cent in 2010.</p>
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		The Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children Ireland studies are a cross-national research study funded by the Department of Health.</p>
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		To date 39,915 school children have contributed to the Irish studies.</p>
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		<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/significant-downward-trend-in-number-of-children-who-smoke-1.1537658">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/significant-downward-trend-in-number-of-children-who-smoke-1.1537658</a></p>
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