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The leading preventable cause of death in the United States, tobacco results in 440,000 deaths and $75 billion in medical costs each year. More than 6.4 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents — the decision to smoke cigarettes. What can you do to help prevent youth tobacco use in your community? |
What We Know and What We’re Still Learning
Thanks to recent research, public health experts know a lot about how many young people use tobacco products, how often they use them and the consequences for their short- and long-term health.
What we know:
- Approximately 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18.
- Every day, nearly 4,000 young people under the age of 18 try their first cigarette.
- In 2002, 13.3 percent of middle school students and 28.4 percent of high school students reported current use of a tobacco product.
- An estimated one-third of these young smokers are expected to die from a smoking-related disease later in life.
- Teenage smokers suffer from shortness of breath almost three times as often as teens who don’t smoke.
- In adults, cigarette smoking causes heart disease and stroke. Early signs of these diseases can be found in adolescents who smoke.
What we’re still learning: why teenagers use tobacco.
Why do youth start using or continue using tobacco products despite all the information available about the serious health risks involved? Answers to this question lie in complex research that examines the relationships between hundreds of biological and social factors that may contribute to a young person starting or continuing to use tobacco.
Research indicates that young people may be more likely to use tobacco if their friends, siblings or parents use tobacco; if tobacco products are easily accessible; if they live in a household with lower socioeconomic status; if they have low levels of self-esteem or academic achievement; or if their parents are not involved in their academic or social lives. Tobacco use in adolescence also is associated with many other risky behaviors, including higher risk sexual behavior and use of alcohol or other drugs.
Additional research at both the local and national levels is needed to better understand these complex issues. Additional information will help parents, schools and public health and youth organizations improve strategies to help youth say "no" to tobacco.
What You Can Do at Home and in Your Community
Parents:
- Despite the impact of movies, music and TV, you are the greatest influence in your kids’ lives.
- Talk directly to children about the risks of tobacco use; if friends or relatives died from tobacco-related illnesses, let your kids know.
- If you use tobacco, you can still make a difference. Your best move, of course, is to try to quit. Meanwhile, don’t use tobacco in your children’s presence, don’t offer it to them, and don’t leave it where they can easily get it.
- Start the dialog about tobacco use at age 5 or 6 and continue through their high school years. Many kids start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted by age 14.
- Know if your kids’ friends use tobacco. Talk about ways to refuse tobacco.
- Discuss with kids the false glamorization of tobacco on billboards, and other media, such as movies, TV and magazines.
Other adults:
- Vote with your pocketbook. Support businesses that don’t sell tobacco to kids. Frequent restaurants and other places that are tobacco-free.
- Partner with your local tobacco prevention programs. Call your local health department or your cancer, heart or lung association to learn how you can get involved.
- Learn more about how you can support CDC Foundation tobacco prevention and control programs.
The CDC Foundation Addresses Youth and Tobacco
In 1999, the CDC Foundation combined funding from the American Legacy Foundation and expertise from CDC scientists to organize the National Youth Tobacco Survey. The survey measured the tobacco-related beliefs, attitudes and behavior of youth, and was the first study to gather data from both high school and middle school students. It was initially conducted in 1999 and was repeated in 2000 and 2002. The American Legacy Foundation used findings from the survey to design strategies for youth-focused anti-tobacco campaigns, such as the popular truth® campaign.
The CDC Foundation continues to partner with the American Legacy Foundation and others to support community efforts to help young people successfully kick the habit or kick the habit before it ever starts. A program called State and Community Partnerships to Reduce and Prevent Tobacco Use helps nine university-based research centers join with local public health partners to reduce tobacco use. These nine centers, while directly addressing the specific needs of their local communities, also are collectively developing national models for tobacco prevention and control programs.