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Health Topics
Tobacco Use
Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People
Tobacco Use by Young People
- Each day in the United States, approximately 4,000 adolescents aged
12-17 try their first cigarette.1
- If current patterns of smoking behaviors continue, an estimated
6.4 million of today’s children can be expected to die prematurely
from a smoking-related disease.2
- Although the percentage of high school students who smoke has
declined in recent years, rates remain high: 23% of high school
students report current cigarette use (smoked cigarettes one or more
of the 30 days preceding the survey).3
- Fifty-four percent of high school students have ever tried
cigarette smoking (even one or two puffs).3
- Sixteen percent of high school students have smoked a whole
cigarette before age 13.3
- Eight percent of high school students used smokeless tobacco
(14% males and 2% females), on one or more of the 30 days preceding the
survey.3 Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely than
nonusers to become cigarette smokers.4
- Fourteen percent of high school students smoked cigars,
cigarillos, or little cigars on one or more of the 30 days preceding the
survey.3
Prevalence of Reported Current Cigarette Use Among
High School Students, 20053
|
Racial/Ethnic Group |
Male |
Female |
Overall |
|
Black (Non-Hispanic) |
14.0% |
11.9% |
12.9% |
|
Hispanic |
24.8% |
19.2% |
22.0% |
|
White (Non-Hispanic) |
24.9% |
27.0% |
25.9% |
|
Health Effects of Tobacco Use by Young People
- Cigarette smoking by young people leads to immediate and serious
health problems including respiratory and nonrespiratory effects,
addiction to nicotine, and the associated risk of other
drug use.4,5
- Smoking at an early age increases the risk of lung cancer. For
most smoking-related cancers, the risk rises as the individual
continues to smoke.4,5
- Cigarette smoking causes heart disease, stroke, chronic lung
disease, and cancers of the lung, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, and
bladder.4,5
- Use of smokeless tobacco causes cancers of the mouth, pharynx
and esophagus; gum recession; and an increased risk for health
disease and stroke.4,5
- Smoking cigars increases the risk of oral, laryngeal,
esophageal, and lung cancers.5,6
Nicotine Addiction Among Young People
- The younger people begin smoking cigarettes, the more likely they
are to become strongly addicted to nicotine. Young people who try to
quit suffer the same nicotine withdrawal symptoms as adults who try to
quit.4
- Several studies have found nicotine to be addictive in ways similar
to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. Of all addictive behaviors, cigarette
smoking is the one most likely to become established during adolescence.4
- Among high school students who are current smokers, 55% have tried
to quit smoking during the 12 months preceding the survey.3
Tobacco Sales and Promoting to Youth
- All states have laws making it illegal to sell cigarettes to
anyone under the age of 18, yet 49% of students under the age of 18
who purchased or attempted to purchase cigarettes in a store or gas
station during the 30 days preceding the survey were not asked to
show proof of age.3
- Cigarette companies spent more than $15.2 billion in 2003 to
promote their products.7
- Children and teenagers constitute the majority of all new
smokers, and the industry’s advertising and promotion campaigns
often have special appeal to these young people.8
- Eighty-three percent of young smokers (aged 12-17) choose the
three most heavily advertised brands.9
Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke in Youth
- An estimated 10–11 million youth aged 12–18 live in a household
with at least one smoker, and over 6 million are exposed to
secondhand smoke daily.10
- Those most affected by secondhand smoke are children. Because
their bodies are still developing, exposure to the poisons in
secondhand smoke puts children in danger of severe respiratory
diseases and can hinder the growth of their lungs.11
- Secondhand smoke exposure during childhood and adolescence may
increase lung cancer risk as an adult,12 and can cause new cases of
asthma or worsen existing asthma.13
References
-
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. Results from the
2004 National
Survey on Drug Use and Health: (Office
of Applied Studies). Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 2005;NSDUH Series H-27;DHHS publication no. (SMA) 05-4061.
-
CDC. Office of Smoking and Health, 2002 calculations
based upon: Smoking attributable
mortality and years of potential life lost—United States, 1984.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1997;46:444-451.
-
CDC.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2005
[pdf 300K]. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 2006;55(SS-5):1–108.
-
CDC. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, A
Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, 1994.
-
CDC. The Health Consequences of Smoking, A Report
of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, 2004.
-
CDC. Cigar smoking among teenagers—United States, Massachusetts, and New York,
1996 [pdf 300K]. Morbidity & Mortality
Weekly Report 1997;46(20):433–439.
-
Federal Trade Commission.
Cigarette Report for 2003. Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission;
2005 [pdf 220K].
-
CDC. Reducing Tobacco Use, A Report of the Surgeon
General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
2000.
-
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health: 2004 Detailed Tables,
Tobacco Brands. [pdf 110K] Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2005.
-
Farrelly MC, Chen J, Thomas KY, Healton CG. National
Youth Tobacco Survey, Legacy First Look Report 6.
Youth Exposure to
Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Washington, DC: American Legacy
Foundation. May 2001.
-
CDC.
Secondhand smoke
exposure among middle and high school students—Texas, 2001
[pdf 210K]. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report
2003;52(8):152–154.
-
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Summary
of Findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2001.
-
Glantz SA, Parmley WW. Passive smoking and heart
disease: mechanisms and risk. Journal of the American Medical
Association 1995;273(13):1047-1053.
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October 2007
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