Tobacco

Facts About Kids and Tobacco

Nearly all first use of tobacco occurs before high school graduation. A 2005 survey from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 54% of high school students had tried cigarette smoking at some point. For the most part, people who do not start using tobacco when they are teens never start using it.

Cigarette smoking causes significant health problems among children and adolescents, including coughing, shortness of breath, production of phlegm, respiratory illnesses, reduced physical fitness, poorer lung growth and function, and worse overall health.

The younger you are when begin to smoke, the more likely you are to be an adult smoker. Almost 90% of adult smokers became addicted to tobacco at or before the age of 18. Young people who start smoking at an earlier age are more likely to develop long-term nicotine addiction than people who start later in life.

Most young people who smoke regularly are already addicted to nicotine and experience the same addiction as adult smokers. Only 3 out of 100 high school smokers think they will be smoking in 5 years, but in reality, studies show that 60 out of 100 will still be smoking 7 to 9 years later.

Each day, more than 4,000 teens try their first cigarette and another 2,000 become regular, daily smokers. Of those, about half will eventually die from a smoking-related disease.

Most teen smokers report that they would like to quit and have made unsuccessful attempts to do so. Those who try to quit smoking report withdrawal symptoms similar to those reported by adults.

Research has shown that adolescent tobacco users are more likely to use alcohol and illegal drugs than are nonusers. Cigarette smokers are also more likely to get into fights, carry weapons, attempt suicide, suffer from mental health problems such as depression, and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors.

Spit tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. There are many terms used to describe spit tobacco, such as oral, smokeless, chewing, and snuff tobacco. The use of spit tobacco by any name can cause cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and esophagus; gum recession; and an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Adolescents who use spit tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers than nonusers.

Unfortunately, newly enacted smoking bans in many states may have an unintended effect on the use of spit tobacco. As recommended by the CDC, many schools now prohibit students, staff, parents, and visitors from using tobacco on school premises, in school vehicles, and at school functions. In light of bans like this, tobacco companies are putting new marketing emphasis on their spit tobacco products. Several new spit tobacco products are being advertised as more discrete alternatives to cigarettes in places where smoking is not allowed.

Tobacco Use Among Middle School Students

The most recent numbers on tobacco use among middle school students come from a 2004 survey by the CDC. These numbers have not changed significantly from those of the previous survey in 2002.

§ About 12% of students reported using some form of tobacco - cigarettes, spit tobacco and snuff, cigars, pipes, and flavored cigarettes like bidis or kreteks - at least once in the past month.

§ Cigarettes (about 8%) were the most common type of tobacco used, followed by cigars (about 5%), spit tobacco (about 3%), pipes (about 3%), bidis (about 2%), and kreteks (about 2%).

§ Boys (about 13%) were slightly more likely than girls (about 11%) to use some form of tobacco. Although girls were slightly more likely to smoke cigarettes, boys were more likely to use spit tobacco, bidis, kreteks, pipes, or cigars.

Tobacco Use Among High School Students

The most recent tobacco numbers for high school students also come from the 2005 CDC survey. These numbers are generally about the same as they were in 2002.

§ Nationwide, about 28% of high school students reported using some type of tobacco (cigarette, cigar,