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Young people log on to support a smokefree Northern Ireland
Young people from across Northern Ireland have been having their say on the introduction of smoking restrictions by logging on to Up-2-You, the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) website targeted at young people.
Over 90% of participants in the online poll have supported the forthcoming smoking legislation, which will put an end to smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces from April 2007.
Eleven lucky winners received prizes from the HPA when they were selected from over 3,300 entries to a competition run on Up-2-You about smoking. Victoria Creasy, Senior Manager for Alcohol, Drugs and Tobacco at the HPA handed out the prizes, which included ipod nanos, camera mobile phones and �50 clothing vouchers.
Victoria said: "Up-2-You has proved a popular site for pupils in years 8, 9 and 10, and a good source of information on health issues which affect them. Since the competition was launched in 2000 the number of entries has increased year on year and we now plan to expand the alcohol section of Up-2-You to reflect current concerns about underage drinking.
�Research shows that young people experiment with tobacco from an early age, with most of those doing so before the age of 13.1 Therefore it is important that education about the effects of smoking begins at an early age and that young people have the opportunity to voice their opinions on this important public health issue which will affect their futures.�
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For
further information contact:
Rosie McGaughey or Jenny Dougan at the HPA on Tel: (028) 9031 1611 or visit the Up-2-You website at
www.up-2-you.net
� Central Survey Unit. Young Persons’ Behaviour and Attitudes Survey. Belfast: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2003.
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