TOBACCO & YOUTH

Prevalence  “Each day approximately 3,450 young people between 12 and 17 y/o smoke their first cigarette.”  Appox. 850 of them will become daily smokers. (CDC, 2011)  In 2009,  17.2% of high school students smoked  5.2% of middle school students smoked  6.7% of high school students used smokeless tobacco  2.6% of middle school students used smokeless tobacco

In Oregon …  16.2% of high school students smoke.  13.6% of male high school students use smokeless tobacco.  4,600 students (18 y/o and younger) will become daily smokers.  167,000 kids exposed to second hand smoke in their homes. ( 2011)

Tobacco Products  Cigarettes  Cigars  Hookah  Smokeless tobacco  Snuff, chew, plug, nasal snuff  New products  Dissolvable strips, orbs, sticks…

Nicotine  Acts as a stimulant  Increases heart rate, blood pressure, alertness, concentration, memory  May act as mild sedative Decreases anxiety, irritability, mild depression  Most smokers want to quit but …  Nicotine is thought to be the most addictive substance.

An evolving process…  “If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one.” The National Cancer Institute, 1954  “Tobacco use imposes enormous public health and financial costs on this nation – costs that are completely avoidable.” Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health & Human Services, 2010

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 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.”  Relatively new to the U.S. but is growing among adolescents.

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  Those who do not use tobacco by the age of 18 likely will never start. (CDC, 2008)

Tobacco Advertising  Companies feel they need to “replace” smokers

Some good news…  Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009  Went into effect June 22, 2010  Changes will continue for next few years  Restricts sale, distribution, and promotion of tobacco products to make them less accessible to youth. (FDA, 2010)

Graphic labels coming soon. (Fda.gov, 2011)

(FDA.gov, 2011)

 Graphic labels will start appearing in Sept  Will they help? (FDA.gov, 2011)

Tobacco Prevention Programs  The most successful campaigns are:  Comprehensive  Use techniques that employ emotions rather than authoritarian styles  Feature multiple message strategies  Provide adequate exposure to the message  Involve & empower youth (Schar, Gutierrez, Murphy-Hoefer, & Nelson, 2006)

Anti-tobacco campaigns Source: news.bbc.co.uk