Young people’s health is Up-2-You!

The government consultation on smoking in public places in Northern Ireland may have closed but the campaign to highlight the dangers of passive smoking is continuing through www.up-2-you.net, the website for young people created by the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA).

Ten lucky young people from across Northern Ireland received prizes from the HPA when they were selected from over 3,000 entries to a competition run on www.up-2-you.net on the health effects of passive smoking.

Victoria Creasy, Senior Manager for Public Health at the HPA, handed out the prizes, which included camera mobile phones, iPod minis and shopping vouchers worth £50. “The huge response to this competition is very encouraging and we have received more than double the entries submitted last year. We would like to thank all the organisations that have helped us to distribute the promotional materials for the website.

“Smoking is the single greatest cause of ill health in Northern Ireland. Research shows that most young smokers will have had their first cigarette before the age of 13 and around 82% of adult smokers adopted the habit in their early teens.

“Passive smoking increases the risk of asthma, lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. Young people are very aware of the effects of passive smoking, as a recent survey revealed, 97% of 11-16 year olds in Northern Ireland believe smoking can harm the health of non-smokers. Therefore it is important that they are encouraged to voice their opposition to smoking, especially if they are subjected to passive smoking by their friends or family. The Up-2-You website provides the facts that can help young people to do this.”

The Up-2-You website is aimed at pupils in school years 8, 9 and 10 as a health promotion tool and deals with issues including smoking, passive smoking, alcohol, drugs and mental health. In recent months the website has received an average of around 3,500 hits per day.

END

For further information contact
Rosie McGaughey at the Health Promotion Agency -Tel: 9031 1611 or visit the Up-2-You website at www.up-2-you.net