Jump to full article: Cape Argus (za), 2009-07-01
Author: Sonya Bell
Intro: More than a quarter of South African teenagers have "lots" of friends who are smoking and drinking - increasing the risk that more youngsters will take part in this dangerous behaviour.
The finding is from TNS Research Surveys, which interviewed 1 000 South African teenagers ranging in age from 13 to 19 years, from the seven major metropolitan areas. The home survey asked youngsters if they had "lots of friends" who were smoking, drinking and/or using drugs.
The reason for asking about the behaviour of their friends, but not themselves, was to elicit more honest answers, said Neil Higgs, the director of innovation and development at TNS. This was especially important with teenagers under 16, whose caregivers were required to be present during the interview.
The implication of the findings was that teenagers were fairly heavily surrounded by the activity, said Higgs.
The highest concentration of smoking was found in Cape Town, where 44 percent of teenagers interviewed said they had lots of friends who smoked. The rate among 13-year-olds was 15 percent.
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