New Zealand Cancer Registry report

In 1976, a question regarding cigarette smoking was included in the New Zealand national census. Preliminary results from a 10% sample show that of the 2.2 million persons surveyed aged 15 years and over, 97.2% answered the question. Of each 100 males, 38 reported they had never smoked regularly, 22 were former smokers, and 40 were current smokers. In each 100 females, 57 had never smoked regularly, 12 were former smokers, and 31 were current smokers. The age and sex of all respondents, their cigarette smoking status, and the number of cigarettes smoked by current smokers on the day before the census were determined. A cigarette smoking question has now been incorporated in the New Zealand standard cancer notification form. Standardized rates for cancer of selected sites were determined for Maoris and non-Maoris. During the 25-year period from 1949-73, the incidence of malignant melanoma of the skin in non-Maoris increased markedly. In females aged 45-54 and in males 55-64 years, the age-specific rates increased almost sixfold. The increases for other age-groups, although substantial, have not been as large. Between 1958 and 1974, threefold increases in standardized incidence rates have been reported for cancer of the lung in Maori males and females and in non-Maori females, but for non-Maori males the rates have less than doubled.