Overview and Context

The percentage of people in Dublin who smoke is 21% which is comparable to the national average of 22%. In Dublin, a majority of people (67%, 29,885) who have smoked in the past year are thinking about quitting and 40% have tried to quit during the last 12 months (Healthy Ireland Survey 2015). While Dublin has the joint 2nd highest number of young smokers of the 8 regions with 5.7% of young people reporting that they smoke at least once a week, 84% of young people in Dublin reported never having smoked (State of the Nation’s Children 2016).

The following issues have been raised through stakeholder interviews and focus groups and were then endorsed through the interagency workshop:

• The image of smoking is still attractive to young people – Young people still find smoking cool and believe in the weight loss myth. Peer pressure is also an issue for young people 
• Stress – People with complex needs are unlikely to quit smoking until they can address some of their other issues and reduce their stress 
• E-Cigarettes / vaping is on the rise with young people and the effects of this are still unknown
• Second hand smoke – Parents that smoke, are not always mindful of second hand smoke around their children. This is particularly an issue for homeless families where a lack of space presents real challenges in this regard 
• Need HSE Smoking Cessation Officers – South Dublin has been without smoking cessation officers from the HSE for a year or two. There is no one assigned to Clondalkin or Tallaght for this role 
• Women living in disadvantaged communities – The national average for smoking is just under 20% and about 56% of smokers are women between 40 and 55 living in disadvantaged areas