Exposure to second-hand smoke in the home has dropped, but inequities remain

We have updated our surveillance on second-hand smoke exposure in the home among children and adults using the 2023/24 New Zealand Health Survey. Here are the key findings.

• Around 21,000 children aged 0–14 years and 197,000 adults were exposed to second-hand
  smoke in the home in 2023/24.
• Exposure to second-hand smoke for children has decreased considerably from 5.1% in 2012/13
  to 2.2% in 2023/24. Second-hand smoke exposure among adults has decreased between
  2012/13 (7.8%) and 2023/24 (4.6%).
• Young people aged 15–24 years, Pacific children, and Pacific adults had the highest exposure to
  second-hand smoke.
• Children living in the most deprived neighbourhoods (NZDep2018 quintile 5) were 2.39 times as
  likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke in the home than those in the least deprived areas.
  Adults in the same deprived areas were 3.41 times more likely to be exposed than those in the
  least deprived areas.

See the full findings here.