Many New Zealand teenagers, especially those who smoke tobacco, are worried about their nicotine, alcohol and other drug use but find it difficult to get help to quit, research led by the University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has found.
The researchers analysed data from a 2019 Youth2000 survey of the health and wellbeing of more than 7,000 secondary school students aged between 13 and 18-years-old.
They looked at their use of four drugs – e-cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol and cannabis – with students who had used them in the past month asked if they were worried about their use and wanted to cut down or quit.
Dr Jude Ball
About half of those who vaped at least monthly and 63 per cent of those who smoked at least monthly said they were worried about their use of e-cigarettes and tobacco.
The lead author of the study, Dr Jude Ball, a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medicine's Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, says the students who smoked tobacco were the most likely to express a desire to cut down or stop using tobacco, at 66 per cent.
"That equates to about 7,000 secondary students nationally wanting to cut down or quit smoking."
Just over a third of those using e-cigarettes and 31 per cent of those using cannabis wanted to cut down, or stop their use. Students who drank alcohol were the least likely to report a desire to cut down, with 18 per cent saying they felt that way.
"We were struck by how many young people were worried about their own drug use and wanted to cut back. That tells us they're open to support – but in too many cases, they're not getting the help they need," Dr Ball says.
Those who used tobacco were the most likely to find it difficult to get support to quit, with 19 per cent of those who had smoked in the past month saying it had been hard to find help in the previous 12 months, compared to five per cent of those who had drunk alcohol and/or used cannabis.
The study found some groups were more likely to have trouble getting help with quitting than others, with Māori, Pacific and LGBTQ+ youth, those aged under 16 and those living in small towns, rural areas, and in the most socio-economically deprived communities finding it most difficult.
"This isn't just about personal choices – it's about environments, communities, and systems that are failing some of our most vulnerable young people. We must make sure prevention and early intervention efforts are culturally safe, locally relevant and youth-friendly," Dr Ball says.
"Putting more investment into drug harm prevention and early intervention, particularly for these under-served groups, could help prevent drug harm before it takes hold."
The research paper, Drug harm prevention needs among adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: findings from the Youth19 Survey is published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
