The Number of Teen Smokers - Research Paper Example

ID No. Greater Hazards when Starting to Smoke as Teen Introduction Several diseases are attributed to smoking. A number of cancers associated with smoking include cervical cancer, esophagus cancer, adult acute leukemia and chronic leukemia, laryngeal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, pancreas cancer, stomach cancer, urinary bladder, lung cancer and kidney cancer (What are the Risks, Smoking Related par. 1). According to the New York Department of Health (par. 1), smoking can lead to blindness and vision loss due to the following eye diseases: Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), cataract, glaucoma, diabetic Retinopathy and dry eye syndrome. In the US, smoking caused 400,000 deaths, with 45 persons dying every hour (180,000 are due to cardiovascular diseases, 65,000 due to the obstructive lung diseases bronchitis and emphysema) (What are the Risks, What is the human par. 1). The number of teen smokers is increasing daily with around 3,900 of them below 18 years of age and 1,500 of them become habitual smokers in the future (Teen Smoking par. 4). Teen smoking declined in the middle of the 1990s but again increasing in number (Teen Smoking par. 1). The American Lung Association report mentioned that 4,800 teenagers are tasting their first cigarette every minute (par. 1) during their sixth or seventh grade (Teens and Smoking par. 6), and 2,000 of them will become chain smokers (par. 1). Girls smoke tobacco products as much as boys do (American Cancer Society 4). Everyday, around 6,000 individuals below 18 years start out to smoke (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 2). With around 2,000 of them to continue smoking, they comprise the new 800,000 new smokers annually (par. 2). The present statistics of adult smokers has 80 percent that started as teenagers (Teens and Smoking par. 1). The marketing research conducted by cigarette manufacturers showed that 60 percent of smokers begin smoking before reaching 13 years old while 90 percent did it before 20 years of age (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 4). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 23 percent of high school students smoked in 2005, an increase from the 2003 level of 21.9 percent but a decline from the 1997 level of 36.4 percent (Teen Smoking par. 2). During the 2009 survey, for every four high school children, one is a tobacco user (American Cancer Society 1). Statistics have also shown an increase in smoking among Hispanic and white teenagers, but a decline among the black (Teen Smoking par. 2). Current trend indicate that an estimate of 6.4 million adolescents and teens will “die prematurely from a smoking-related disease” (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 2). With continued use as teens get older, they will have the following problems: early heart disease and stroke, chronic lung diseases (e.g. emphysema, bronchitis), gum disease and tooth loss, hearing loss, and vision loss (e.g macular degeneration) (2). There are around 4,000 chemicals (Some of the Chemicals par. 1) found in tobacco products (many of them cause cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases) such as, Acetaldehyde, Acetone, Acrolein, Acrylonitrile, 1-Aminonaphthalene, 2-Aminonaphthalene, 3-Aminobiphenyl, 4-Aminobiphenyl, Ammonia, Anabasine, Anatabine, Arsenic, Benzene, Benzo[a]pyrene, 1,3-Butadiene, Butyraldehyde, Cadmium, Carbon monoxide, Catechol, Chlorinated doxins/furans, Chromium, Cresols, Crotonaldehyde, Eugenol, Formaldehyde, Glycerol, Hydrogen cyanide, Hydroquinone, Isoprene, Lead, Menthol, Mercury (Example Constituents 1-8), and numerous others. Smoking will expose a teen or adolescent with so many harmful and toxic chemicals from tobacco that can cause cancer and other diseases. The body of a child smoker is still fragile and undergoing development which can be affected by the toxic components. Starting to smoke as a teen poses greater health hazards to a person due to toxicity of cigarette chemicals, the fragility of a teen’s body, and addiction nicotine induces on the smoker. Causes of Teen Smoking and Teen Perspective Anti-smoking campaign has been continually pursued by concerned government agencies and the civic organizations to show the health risks of smoking. However, teenagers do not seem to internalize the associated risks and ignore the danger and death it can cause them (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 3). Despite the astonishing negative statistics and the death smoking has caused, they do not affect the teens’ decision to stop or to start smoking (par. 3). As a stimulant, nicotine causes addiction (Teens and Smoking par. 5) that hooks up the teen smoker. With continued use, the smoker will begin to seek nicotine and will trigger physiological responses if it is not tasted or taken into the body. In time, the teen smoker will develop nicotine dependence that will urge him or him to smoke until adulthood. Addiction to nicotine most likely will lead to other drug substance abuse (par. 4). Once they have started smoking, these teens begin to use other illegal substances and drugs and alcoholic drinks (par. 6). Adolescents and teenagers are more prone to nicotine addiction than adults (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 2). Studies have shown that nicotine suppresses feelings and appetite, acts as stimulant after sexual act, and provides relaxation (from insecure feelings) (Teens and Smoking par. 2). There are psychological and social factors that make a teen smoke. Teens seem to enjoy doing something which they are prohibited to do (Teens and Smoking par. 3). Smokers give each other social rewards though acceptance and companionship (par. 2). Some factors identified to have contributed to smoking of teens are as follows: the parents also smoke, availability and affordable price of cigarettes, approval of siblings and peers, belonging to the lower level of socio-economic strata, low self-esteem, and lack of support or involvement of parents (Teen Smoking par. 5). Acceptance of a teen in a group can also lead to smoking as well as pressure from group members (peer pressure). There is also the general perspective, called the optimistic bias, of both teen and adult smokers that smoking would have less risk to them than other smokers of the same age as them (Weinstein 1998 cited in Arnett 625). But they acknowledge that it hastens the “long-term risks of a variety of health problems, such as lung cancer and heart disease” (Leventhal, Glynn, and Fleming 1987; Viscusi 1992 cited in Arnett 625). They even agree that smoking exposes them to long-term risks of health problems compared with non-smokers (Gerrard, Gibbons, Benthin and Hessling 1996; McCoy et al. 1992 cited in Arnett 625). Optimistic bias has been shown by the 10 to 18 year-old respondents but greater in the 10 to 14 years old smokers than in the 15 to 18 age group (Hansen and Malotte 1986 cited in Arnett 626). The lower age group (10-14), however, perceives that they are more at risks than non-smokers (Hansen and Malotte 1986 cited in Arnett 626). Adolescent smokers agree that there are associated risks to long-term smoking but they “downplay the short-term risks” (Slovic 1998 cited in Arnett 626). Moreover, teen smokers have the optimistic bias that most people will be addicted to smoking but they are not (Arnett 630). Toll and Effects of Teen Smoking Around 440,000 persons die in the US from smoking related diseases; around 90 percent (or 396,000) of them started to smoke as teens (Teen Smoking Statistics par. 1). Of the total number of current smokers 90 percent started to taste tobacco when still a teenager (par. 1). It is important to note that the 396,000 smokers who begun smoking at a tender age succumb to death every year from smoking-related illnesses (par. 1). Children who smoke, according to the American Cancer Society (2) will experience the following health problems: shortness of breath, coughing, frequent headaches, respiratory illnesses, increased phlegm, poor physical fitness, unsatisfactory lung development and function, worse cold and flu symptoms, inferior overall health and addiction to nicotine. Teen smokers also have shown changes in behavior which at times are abrasive (Teens and Smoking par. 1). It can also affect the growth and development of a teen (Covelli par. 1). It was also found out teen smokers also exhibit secondary behavioral problems like drug and alcohol use, violence and high-risk sexual behavior (Teen Smoking par. 4). Most probably, a teen or adolescent is facing health risks greater than those of adult smokers (Covelli par. 1). Starting out as young, smoking will have the following effects: greater chance of succumbing to cancer, impaired lung development, shortness of breath, chronic coughing, excessive phlegm, and heart and bone problems (par. 2). They also become sick more often and have weaker heart and smaller lungs that non-smokers (Martin par. 8). The habit lowers resistance thus making them catch colds easily (Covelli par. 2). They also become more addicted than adults since they have started smoking early in life (par. 3). They appear older than their age because of the facial lines caused by early smoking, have dry skin and prone to wrinkles (par. 5). Most often, teen smokers are not performing well in school, feel that they are not part of school, isolate themselves from other students, perform bad in sports, and skip classes (Teens and Smoking par. 6). Smokers that begin young have accelerated aging (Covelli par. 5). A teen or adolescent trying to stop smoking will experience the following withdrawal symptoms: insomnia, depression, irritability, declining mental functions, behavioral changes, and poor performance in school (par. 3). Conclusion Teen smokers are exposed to greater hazards than adult smokers because the development of their lungs and bones are affected by smoking. Smoking also destroys Vitamin C, a nutrient that boosts resistance from diseases. Smoking also affects the behavior of young smokers making them aggressive, induce them to use illegal drugs and alcohol, and engage in sexual activities that may affect their future. Starting at a young age will most likely establish greater dependence on smoking that a person will not be able separate oneself from the habit. Acceptance in the group, sociability and peer pressure are the common factors that makes a teen start to smoke. However, studies also revealed that it causes isolation of the smoker, in addition to poor performance in school and sports. Parents are primarily responsible in instructing a teen or adolescent child not to start smoking. If the child has already started to smoke, outside help may be needed since there is a tendency that the child may defy the parents. If the child has not tasted a cigarette yet, the parent can advise the child not to associate with individuals who are smoking. In this way, the common causes of smoking, which are peer pressure and social acceptance by the group, would not exist. There are always groups that a teen or adolescent can join and have wholesome fun without resorting to smoke. In the short term, teen smokers may experience pleasure and relaxation from the nicotine content in cigarettes. Thus, the teen will regularly smoke in order to experience that feeling they get from cigarettes, until it becomes a habit that is hard to break. The body of the teen will be craving for nicotine by then. A great percentage of adult smokers started smoking during their teens, as shown by several studies. And through long years of smoking, they have been afflicted by cancer and other smoking related diseases. The present adults who have a hard time breaking the habit had started the habit in their teen years. This shows that it would be more difficult to cease smoking if one started smoking while still young. Moreover, adolescents and teens smokers die prematurely to due various causes. Works Cited American Cancer Society. Child and Teen Tobacco Use: Understanding the problem. 2010. 22 June 2011. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002963-pdf.pdf Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. Optimistic Bias in Adolescent and Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers. Addictive Behaviors 25.4 (2000): 625–632. 22 June 2011. http://www.jeffreyarnett.com/articles/ARNETT_optimistic_bias.pdf Covelli, Grace. Health Risks of Smoking for Teens. 14 October 2009. 22 June 2011. http://www.livestrong.com/article/26030-health-risks-smoking-teens/ Example Constituents and their Potential Association with Selected Tobacco-Related Diseases. Tobacco Product Constituents Subcommittee of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. 8-9 June 2010. 22 June 2011. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/TobaccoProductsScientificAdvisoryCommittee/UCM214299.pdf Martin, Terry. Smoking Facts for Parents and Teens. 28 June 2010. 23 June 2011. http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/teensmoking/a/teensmokefacts.htm New York Department of Health. Smoking Can Lead to Vision Loss or Blindness. December 2009. 22 June 2011. http://www.health.state.ny.us/prevention/tobacco_control/smoking_can_lead_to_vision_loss_or_blindness.htm Some of the Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke. n.d. 22 June 2011. http://www.sbctc.org/pdf/studentguide.pdf Teens and Smoking Tobacco. Teen Drug Abuse. n.d. 21 June 2011. http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensmoking.html Teen Smoking - Statistics and Prevention. Family First Aid. 2004. 21 June 2011. http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-smoking.html Teen Smoking Statistics. TeenHelp.com 2011. 22 June 2011.http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-health/teen-smoking-statistics.html What are the Risks of Cigarette Smoking. QuitSmokingSupport.com. 2011. 22 June 2011. http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/risks.htm Read More