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Adults
In 2010, 23 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women smoked daily. Smoking among men has decreased over the long term. The prevalence of smoking among women has long been steady at the level of the mid-1980s, but has shown a slight downward turn in recent years. Regional differences with respect to daily smoking have diminished and partially disappeared.
Adolescents
The downward trend in daily smoking among adolescents began at the turn of the century and continued over the last two years 2009-2011, and adolescents start experimenting with smoking at an older age than before in Finland.Roughly every fifth person aged 16-18 (21 %) however still smokes on a daily basis.
The experimentation with smoking decreased at a steady pace over the period of survey from 1977 to 2011, and smoking is now experimented with at an older age than before.
Although the law regarding the sales of tobacco has been tightened up,one in three girls and one in six boys aged 14 years manage to buy themselves tobacco in shops.
Experimenting with snus has increased both among boys and girls. Snus use among boys has also increased since as much as 14 per cent of the boys aged 18 and 12 per cent of the boys aged 16 used snus in 2011.The Sale of snus is forbidden in Finland, and it is only permitted to import small amounts of it for one's own use, snus is still too easily available to adolescents.
Progress is positive
Finland has achieved remarkable progress in cutting smoking in the last decades. Quitting rates are persistent and, crucially, less young people are starting smoking at an early age than in the past.
Nevertheless progress is cross-cut by stubborn challenges: smoking among women, once low, has risen during the time that high levels of smoking declined among men. Smoking remains a socio-economic problem, with higher levels of tobacco use among the poorest and less educated sections of the population.
Sources:
The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) . Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult Population, Spring 2010. Report 15/2011.
Raisamo, Pere, Lindfors, Tiirikainen, Rimpelä. The Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey 2011.
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