Western Correspondent New research has shown a significant decrease in the number of children smoking and drinking over a 20-year period to 2018. But there has been an increase in the number trying to lose weight and more children say they "feel low" at least once a week. The Health Behaviour in School Aged Children report compares studies from 1998 with follow up surveys in 2018. It was overseen by the Health Promotion Research Centre in NUI Galway. The data has been gathered from questionnaires completed by more than 15,000 school pupils, aged between ten and 17. This takes in children in fifth class, to students in fifth year of secondary school.