While the proportion of smokers in the population has declined, the decrease is mainly due to people giving up smoking rather than not taking up the habit.
Tobacco use is recognised as a major preventable cause of disease, disability and death.
These declines are associated with changes in the patterns of tobacco use. Smoking excludes chewing tobacco and smoking of non-tobacco products. There has consequently been an increase over time in the proportion of adolescent girls smoking. Although a smaller proportion of adults were smoking in 1989-90 compared to 1977, the cigarette consumption of those who smoked was greater. For female smokers the proportional increase in daily cigarette consumption was even greater.