The number of smokers among young adults remains “unabatedly high”, the Trimbos Institute reports Tuesday. While the number of smokers among adults is decreasing, one in three people aged 20 to 24 smoked last year.
The Trimbos Institute measures how many people smoke each year. This shows that the percentage of adult smokers dropped to 21.7 last year. That amounts to just under three million people.
Marc Willemsen, head of tobacco at the Trimbos Institute, says that the proportion of smokers in the 20-24 age group remains “consistently high” at 30.9 percent. He is concerned about that. “The longer they smoke, the harder it is to get off.”
There are relatively few ‘daily smokers’ in the 20 to 24 age group, but the knowledge institute emphasizes that in the 25 to 29 age group, more smokers light a cigarette every day – the older the smoker, the more likely they are to smoke. smokes daily.
Stress may be an underlying problem
Last year, one in three smokers made a serious attempt to quit. Of the young adults who made no attempt, the Trimbos Institute heard that they mainly smoke to relax. “This suggests an underlying problem, which is stress among young adults.”
The institute says that it is important to conduct in-depth research into this, so that this group of smokers can also be helped to quit smoking.
Willemsen says that among smokers in the age group 20 to 24 years old there is little interest in getting help to quit smoking, while they are the target group that the tobacco industry focuses on. “This is worrying, because smoking cessation without help regularly fails.”
–
