Tobacco

Tobacco & Youth “Each day in the U.S., approximately 4,000 adolescents aged 12-17 try their first cigarette.” (CDC, 2008) Approximately 20% of high school students smoke 50% of high school students have tried cigarettes

Tobacco, Youth & Oregon 16% of high school students currently smoke 3,900 kids under the age of 18 will become new daily smokers each year. 74,000 kids who are current smokers will ultimately die prematurely from smoking Tobacco Free Kids, 2010

Tobacco Cigarettes Cigars Hookah Smokeless tobacco Snuff, chew, plug, nasal snuff

Nicotine Acts as a stimulant 3 out or 4 smokers want to quit Increases heart rate, blood pressure, alertness, concentration, memory. May act as mild sedative Decreases anxiety, irritability, mild depression 3 out or 4 smokers want to quit 75% will quit but start again within one year Often said to be the most addictive substance

Nicotine & Youth Immediate health consequences Respiratory problems Addiction Increased risk of lung cancer

Health Effects

Tobacco tolerance It is possible to build up a tolerance Withdrawal: Needing more and more for same effect. Withdrawal: Severe cravings, insomnia, confusion, tremors, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscles aches/pains, headache, nausea, irritability, anger, depression. Youth that smoke and stop have the same withdrawal symptoms

Tobacco Use / Mortality One of the leading preventable causes of death in U.S. Causes more deaths every year than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides and murders combined! Smokers die an average of 14 years earlier than non- smokers.

Mortality Source: www.cancercontrol.cancer.gov

Ingredients in cigarettes Over 4000 chemicals are in cigarettes Just to name a few: Acetone, Ammonia, Arsenic Butane, Cadmium, Carbon Monoxide DDT, ethanol, Hydrogen Cyanide Methane, Methanol, Nicotine Toluene

Social Smoking What is it? Is it really that harmful? No safe level of nicotine Still habit forming

Hookah What is it? A water pipe used to smoke tobacco Has been around for centuries WHO: “one hour of Hookah smoking exposes the user to 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.” Relatively new to the U.S. but is growing among adolescents.

Smokeless Tobacco Increasing among younger men and boys. Currently: Adolescent boys that use smokeless tobacco increase their risk of smoking cigarettes later in life. (tobaccofreekids.org, 2008) Currently: 13% of U.S. high school boys use smokeless tobacco 2% of U.S. high school girls use smokeless tobacco

Tobacco Advertising & Youth It is illegal in all states to sell cigarettes to anyone under 18… so why is tobacco and youth an issue? Children and adolescents are the majority of new smokers and companies know this. First time use likely to occur at approximately 14. Those who do not use tobacco at the age of 18 likely will never start. (CDC, 2008)

Advertising Companies feel they need to “replace” smokers Ads therefore target youth

FDA & Tobacco Regulation Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents Restricts sale, distribution, and promotion of tobacco products to make them less accessible to youth. Law goes into effective June 22, 2010 (FDA, 2010)

Tobacco prevention programs Only 69% of students are currently in schools that require tobacco prevention programs. Prevention programs need to focus on the short-term for adolescents. Athletic performance Personal appearance

Tobacco Education Programs Well-designed programs should include: A proven background in prevention Provide education during the formative years Provide a tobacco-free environment Help preventing other types of drug use as well.