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Facts on Youth Smoking, Health,
and Performance
Among young people, the
short-term health effects of smoking include damage to the respiratory
system, addiction to nicotine, and the associated risk of other
drug use. Long-term health consequences of youth smoking are reinforced
by the fact that most young people who smoke regularly continue
to smoke throughout adulthood. (CDC. Preventing tobacco use among
young people---A report of the Surgeon General. 1994, p. 15)
Smoking hurts young
people's physical fitness in terms of both performance and endurance---even
among young people trained in competitive running. (CDC. Preventing
tobacco use among young people, p. 28)
Smoking among youth
can hamper the rate of lung growth and the level of maximum lung
function. (CDC. Preventing tobacco use among young people, p. 17)
The resting heart rates
of young adult smokers are two to three beats per minute faster
than those of nonsmokers. (CDC. Preventing tobacco use among young
people, p. 28)
Among young people,
regular smoking is responsible for cough and increased frequency
and severity of respiratory illnesses. (CDC. Preventing tobacco
use among young people, p. 9)
The younger people start
smoking cigarettes, the more likely they are to become strongly
addicted to nicotine. (CDC. Preventing tobacco use among young people,
p. 9)
Teens who smoke are
three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times
more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine.
Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviors, such
as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex. (CDC. Preventing tobacco
use among young people, p. 36,104)
Smoking is associated
with poor overall health and a variety of short-term adverse health
effects in young people and may also be a marker for underlying
mental health problems, such as depression, among adolescents. High
school seniors who are regular smokers and began smoking by grade
nine are
2.4 times more likely
than their nonsmoking peers to report poorer overall health
2.4 to 2.7 times more
likely to report cough with phlegm or blood, shortness of breath
when not exercising, and wheezing or gasping
3.0 times more likely
to have seen a doctor or other health professional for an emotional
or psychological complaint.
(Arday DR, Giovino GA,
Schulman J, Nelson DE, Mowery P, Samet JM . Cigarette smoking and
self-reported health problems among US high school seniors, 1982-1989.
Am J of Health Promotion, 1995;10(2):111-116. )
Republished from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/youth/ythsprt.htm
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