15 Sep 2014

Young underestimate smoking risks

1:07 pm on 15 September 2014

New research claims the tobacco industry is taking advantage of young adults' inability to make informed decisions.

The study by the University of Otago focused on how informed young adults are about the risks when they decide to start smoking.

It involved a series of in-depth interviews with people aged 18 to 25.

Lead author Rebecca Gray said this age group underestimated the power of addiction and it was not until later that they understood the long term effects of smoking.

"I would not for a minute like to think that it looks like I'm saying these people are stupid - they're not stupid at all, they know a lot of things.

"But they're reacting to their environment and they're reacting to their immediate priorities as opposed to their long term priorities and I'm pretty sure the industry's aware of that."

Ms Gray said as young people tend to smoke and drink at the same time, the Government should look at imposing stricter regulations on smoking outside bars and restaurants.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs