Australian Smoking Habits
Smoking is a serious health issue worldwide. Prevalence, however, has steadily declined across Australia over the last several decades thanks to a number of successful public health campaigns. The number of smokers in the country is now among the lowest in the world.
Healthy Communities: Tobacco smoking rates across Australia, 2014 – 15 is a new document published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The government report assesses adult daily smoking rates in Primary Health Network (PHN) areas. It found that, despite declining national levels, there is much localised variation and that, notably, people from rural areas are more likely to smoke daily than those living in the city. In this way, the publication highlights key areas where efforts ought to be directed in order to continue the trend of reducing smoking rates across Australia.