One in Four High School Seniors Smoke: Is It an 'Epidemic'?
SodaHead Living
2012/03/09 18:46:19
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It's pretty hard to believe in 2012, but a whopping 25 percent of high school seniors are regular cigarette smokers, the U.S. surgeon general's office said in its first report on youth smoking since 1994, according to Reuters. And the habit often starts long before high school.
"Today, more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke. We don't want our children to start something now that they won't be able to change later in life," Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin said in the report. Nine in 10 current smokers started before the age of 18, and here's where it gets really scary: Because it's so hard to quit, some 80 percent of high school smokers will continue to smoke as adults, the report says.
The good news: U.S. smoking rates have fallen since 1964, when the surgeon general issued the first smoking warning. But the habit, which has been linked to lung cancer and heart disease, kills more than 1,200 people every day, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, Reuters reports.
"Today, more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke. We don't want our children to start something now that they won't be able to change later in life," Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin said in the report. Nine in 10 current smokers started before the age of 18, and here's where it gets really scary: Because it's so hard to quit, some 80 percent of high school smokers will continue to smoke as adults, the report says.
The good news: U.S. smoking rates have fallen since 1964, when the surgeon general issued the first smoking warning. But the habit, which has been linked to lung cancer and heart disease, kills more than 1,200 people every day, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, Reuters reports.
Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary for health at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, called for more action in a statement. "Until we end the tobacco epidemic, more young people will become addicted, more people will die and more families will be devastated by the suffering and loss of loved ones." Do you think youth smoking is an "epidemic"?
I've given some thought to why teenagers would give in to this horrible habit (I lost my dad as a result of chain smoking) w/ all of the knowledge we have on the subject. My hypothesis is threefold: 1) smoking in public is all but outlawed in many or most cities, & teenagers like to rebel . . ., 2) tobacco companies have been increasing their promotional ads to the younger generation (at least they're not on TV), 3) since we have decreased the incidence of smoking so much, it may be like our vaccinations, people think the diseases that result from either not smoking or being vaccinated, have been ameliorated. Teens don't hear as much about deaths from COPD, lung cancer, throat & lip cancer as they did in the 80's & 90's.
Maybe it's time to get the ole educational programs going again & invite the smokers to a local morgue for a little experience in what a diseased lung looks like.
I think we throw the word "epidemic" around too easily.
*Edit* - It says nowhere in the article that youth smoking rates have gone up. It does say in the article, however, that tobacco companies are spending twice the amount on marketing than they were in 1998... wouldn't that mean smoking rates went down?
Developing nations are third-world countries. I think this article is talking about American youth.
That said, the developing countries should look into getting their rates down.
"A survey in the UK found about half of smokers think that smoking "can’t really be all that dangerous, or the Government wouldn’t let cigarettes be advertised".
I think it's probably similar over here, too. It's baffling... almost like people are either overly alarmist or overly apathetic.
The alarmists are the ones who are exaggerating claims and blaming every conceivable thing on smoking. Also, please don't think I was implying you're acting alarmist... because I'm not. :-)
It's just nice to run into someone who doesn't see a difference of opinion as a personal attack.
I stated something very benign about sexual proclivities, not even related to homosexuality, & I guess the guy went & read my profile, for his response was way out of proportion to the discussion:
"Good thing we live in a Republic where minority rights are protected from the evil, fascist agenda of the religious majority.
Your desire to have sex with your siblings or children is not related to gay marriage. Poor thing....I feel sorry for you, it must be awful to find that you have BECOME the "despised minority" group you tried casting gays into."
I blocked the guy. ;-)
2011: "Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products (e.g., hookahs, small cigars, smokeless tobacco), marijuana and prescription drugs. The survey results, announced today during a news conference at the National Press Club, appear to show that more teens continue to abuse marijuana than cigarettes; and alcohol is still the drug of choice among all three age groups queried." http://www.drugabuse.gov/news...
You might already know this, since you work in healthcare, but I was fascinated to find out that a lot of the 'legal' drugs kids are using are as dangerous as illicit drugs (and in some cases, worse). I forget the brand, but a popular type of shisha (hookah tobacco) is made mostly of sugar cane bagasse (a sugar cane by-product). The scary thing about that is that people working with bagasse, who end up inhaling the dust, end up with serious lung disorders and damage... and there are no studies on its effects on humans when smoked.
If anything alcohol use is still the number one choice and the question should have been asked about that.
We've got adults pushing sex education classes & handing out condoms & birth control pills like they were candy, but not addressing the actual cause of this increase in sex & drugs. The thing is, most teenagers won't use condoms, because it interrupts the spontaneity & is a "hassle", & good luck if you can get teenage girls to remember to take the "pill" as prescribed. Many teenage pregnancies occur due to a lack of preparation & noncompliance with taking the pill. They also get l...
We've got adults pushing sex education classes & handing out condoms & birth control pills like they were candy, but not addressing the actual cause of this increase in sex & drugs. The thing is, most teenagers won't use condoms, because it interrupts the spontaneity & is a "hassle", & good luck if you can get teenage girls to remember to take the "pill" as prescribed. Many teenage pregnancies occur due to a lack of preparation & noncompliance with taking the pill. They also get lulled into a sense of security when they know the morning after pill or an abortion can be obtained through Planned Parenthood or their local gynecologist, especially since laws don't require them to notify parents. What a screwed up world we live in!!!
..It probably is in some cases but you know what I mean