Fed: Youth smoking rates drop for first time in a decade.

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Fed: Youth smoking rates drop for first time in a decade.

MELBOURNE, April 16 AAP - Youth smoking rates have dropped for the first time in adecade, according to figures released today by the Cancer Council of Victoria.

The 1999 study showed smoking rates declining in students aged 12 to 15 while ratesamong 16- and 17-year-olds remained stable.

Over 25,000 students aged between 12 and 17 were surveyed from almost 400 schools acrossAustralia

The study's authors estimated that across Australia just under 269,000 schoolboys andgirls aged between 12 and 17 are smokers.

Director of the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer and study author ProfessorDavid Hill said he was heartened by the results, particularly those showing a decreasesince the previous survey in 1996.

"Given the increased attention of many state governments on youth access to tobaccoin the last 18 months it will be interesting to see whether the proportion of studentsbuying cigarettes decreases again in the next survey," Prof Hill said.

AAP db/clr/pw

KEYWORD: SMOKING