5.13 Opportunity to smoke

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5.1 Introduction

5.2 Stages in the uptake of smoking

5.3 Factors influencing uptake by young people—overview

5.4 Physiological aspects

5.5 Individual personality traits and psychiatric influences

5.6 Intentions, attitudes and beliefs

5.7 The home environment

5.8 The smoking behaviour of peers, and peer attitudes and norms

5.9 The educational environment: achievements, aspirations and 'school connectedness'

5.10 Other drug use

5.11 Accessibility of tobacco products to young smokers

5.12 Affordability of tobacco products

5.13 Opportunity to smoke

5.14 Cultural background

5.15 Tobacco advertising and promotion targeted at young people

5.16 Products and packaging created to appeal to new users

5.17 Factors influencing uptake of smoking later in life

5.18 Uptake—a concluding note

5.19 What is meant by prevention?

5.20 Approaches to youth smoking prevention

5.21 Mass media strategies/campaigns

5.22 Interactive technology and multimedia

5.23 School-based interventions

5.24 Peer influence and education

5.25 Parent/family/home targeted interventions

5.26 Reducing tobacco access and supply

5.27 Reducing product appeal

5.28 Promotion and visibility of tobacco

5.29 Denormalising smoking

5.30 Taxation and pricing of tobacco products

5.31 Harnessing predictors of uptake to prevent smoking

5.32 Preventing smoking in more 'at risk' groups

Acknowledgments

References

Whereas once smoking was commonplace in the working environment, in shopping centres, on public transport, in restaurants and elsewhere, public health concerns about exposure to second-hand smoke have led to the introduction of clean air acts and other smoking restrictions at the national, state, and local government level. Most workplaces, schools, and other public places are now smokefree, and increasing numbers of Australian households have chosen to ban smoking in their homes125 (see Chapter 4, Section 4.12 ). Bans on smoking at home appear to be particularly important in influencing smoking behaviour among teenagers.78

As well as physically reducing the places where smoking may occur, reducing opportunity to smoke and restricting the kinds of places in which people may smoke also helps challenge perceptions that smoking is normal behaviour.126 Recent publicity supporting bans on smoking in cars is likely to strengthened this view. For further discussion see Section 5.29 and Chapter 15, Section 15.6.1 .