All Ireland Traveller Health Study Our Geels - Department of Health ...

All Ireland Traveller Health Study
Smoking, Alcohol and Illicit Drugs
General Summary
Overall, 52.5% in ROI and 50.8% in NI were current smokers; 43.5% in ROI and 38.4% in NI were regular
smokers and a further 9% in ROI and 12.4% in NI were occasional smokers. Smoking rates in men and
women were comparable between the sexes in ROI but somewhat lower in women (47.8%) than men
(53.9%) in NI. Regarding alcohol consumption, 38.1 % of respondents in ROI and 39.3% in NI indicated
they never drank, with rates of non-drinking being considerably higher in women than men. The
lowest rate of never-drinkers (30.9% in ROI and 32.1% in NI) was in the 30 to 44-year-old age group. A
majority of respondents (66.3% in ROI and 64.6% in NI) considered illicit drugs to be a problem in their
community and this was a consistent pattern for both men and women and across age groups.
Commentary
There is a high prevalence of current tobacco smoking within the AITHS. This compares with current
smoking in 37% of adults in social class 5 to 6 in SLAN 2007, 32.5% in the INSIGHT ‘07 medical card
holders, and 34% of all semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the 2008-2009 NI Continuous Household
survey. Figure 16 shows the prevalence of current smoking by sex in the AITHS and comparable
populations. Data from all SLAN 2007 participants is also included as a comparator with the wider
population.
Figure 16: Current tobacco smoking in the AITHS, INSIGHT ‘07, NI Continuous Household
survey 2008-2009 semi-skilled and unskilled workers and SLAN 2007 studies
60
50
% of population
40
30
20
10
0
All Travellers
INSIGHT 07 GMS
SLAN 07 SC 5-6
NI 2008-2009
All SLAN 07
All Travellers
INSIGHT 07 GMS
SLAN 07 SC 5-6
NI 2008-2009
All SLAN 07
Men
Women
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