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.
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