BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- About 7.2 percent of adolescents aged between 11 to 17 in Germany smoke, according to a survey report published by public health institute Robert Koch on Thursday on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day.
Half of the adolescents who smoke do so daily, and there are no significant differences in smoking behaviors between girls and boys, said the report.
However, the proportion of smoking adolescents has been greatly reduced. The proportion was 21.4 percent in the baseline survey (2003-2006), but dropped to 7.2 percent in the period of the first follow-up survey (2009-2012).
The report said smoking usually first takes place before the age of 18. If smoking is started at a young age, the risk for the development of tobacco-associated diseases increases.
Against this backdrop, Germany has adopted an intensified tobacco prevention policy over the last 20 years, launching various measures.
These include significant tax increases in the years 2002 to 2005, non-smoker protection laws of the federal and state governments and the raising of the age limit for the purchase and consumption of tobacco products from 16 to 18 years.
