Danes smoking and drinking less

Danes are cutting back on fags and booze, but young people are not following the programme

Danes are cutting back on their drinking and smoking habits.

According to Sundhedsstyrelsens Nationale Sundhedsprofil, the health department’s national health profile, the number of Danes who identified themselves as daily smokers has dropped from nearly 21 percent in 2010 to 17 percent.

And only one in five men and one in seven women reported drinking more than the maximum of 14 units per week. In 2010, one out of four said they downed more than the maximum.

Deadly vices
Health department spokesperson Jette Jul Bruun was pleased with the numbers.

“Smoking kills 13,000 to 14,000 people each year, and smoking kills another 3,000, so these are important numbers as they relate to public health,” Bruun told DR Nyheder.

Young people are still drinking above the health department’s recommendations, but the numbers of young men drinking too much have fallen since 2010.

READ MORE: Raise the price of cigarettes, urge experts

The report said that Danes still have problems in the areas of diet, exercise and obesity, and that those problems are larger among the poorer and less educated segments of society.




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