User:Teentobacco

Overview
Tobacco is the second most widely abused drug by adolescents. Adolescents cite various reasons for starting to smoke including: peer influence, curiosity, nervousness, enjoyment, or because it is prohibited. Tobacco use has serious health risks for primary users and those inhaling second-hand smoke; it is important to prevent adolescents from picking up the habit and becoming addicted to nicotine.

The most effective tool is anti-smoking education that does not frighten teens, but points out the very serious health concerns related to smoking. Some of the detrimental effects are lung cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease. Scare tactics should not be used since these tactics may lead adolescents to deny that smoking is harmful. The best approach is one that encourages the adolescent to establish control of their own behaviors and not blame anyone else.

It is important that the information being presented to the student is factual and not exaggerated. Facts are more likely to be effective than “half truths.” Anti-smoking education programs should enlist the help of other adolescents to get their point across. Peers’ opinions are the opinions that matter most to teens, so when peers view non-smoking as a popular behavior and smoking as an undesirable habit, the teen is more likely to heed the advice.

These anti-smoking programs must begin at an early age and continue for several years. Research has shown recurring programs are more effective than one mass exposure to the information. These programs should help adolescents (or younger children; the younger the better) to explore their social and emotional feelings with respect to smoking. By delving into the individual needs of the adolescent, perhaps the desire to smoke can be diminished.

Many areas have passed laws making the sale of cigarettes, lighters, and matches illegal to minors; other areas have increased the taxes on tobacco products, making them more expensive and possibly out of reach for today’s youth. Advertisements for tobacco and tobacco products are no longer on television and smoking has been banned from most public places. Indeed, these additional efforts help curtail tobacco usage by adolescents, but the best prevention is an adequate anti-smoking education.

Predictors - Who is most likely to use tobacco?
As smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, adolescent smoking continues to be a matter of great concern. Because smoking behavior has been found to be a developmental process, researchers believe that adolescents who start smoking follow well-established patterns from experimental smoking to daily smoking and nicotine dependence. Therefore, it is important to understand the predictors of smoking in order to prevent teens from progressing to daily smoking.

Problem behavior predictors of smoking include the number of friends who smoke, academic performance, and alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use. Those adolescents with friends who smoke are more likely to smoke themselves, and if they’ve used other drugs, they’re likely to try smoking cigarettes as well. Adolescents who are academic achievers tend to not progress to daily smoking.

Other predictors are age, gender, race, depressions, perceived general health, and cigarette availability at home. In association with demographics, it has been found that females and white youths are more at risk to progress to advanced levels of smoking. Also, as age increases, the risk for smoking progression increases. They may want to act like adults and believe that smoking makes them look more mature. Those with perceived poor health and depression are more likely to become daily smokers, along with those who have cigarettes available in their home.

Signs - How can you tell if a teen is using tobacco?
There are a few warning signs of tobacco use to keep an eye (or nose) out for when dealing with adolescents.
 * unexplained health problems
 * sudden behavior changes or mood swings
 * smell of smoke (on clothes, personal items, or breath)
 * overuse of breath mints or perfumes (to cover up the smell)
 * loss of interest in friends and/or activities

Prevention - Can adults help prevent teen tobacco use?
How can parents help?

Parents can be very influential on their child’s life choices. As a parent you can explain to your child how smoking affects their body biologically so they are able to understand why smoking is unhealthy. Each cigarette someone smokes adds to a layer of debris and waste on the lungs; the thicker the walls of the lungs get, the harder it is for oxygen to diffuse into them. This is why many smokers may notice a shortness of breath when they partake in activities they were once able to perform easily.

If your child understands the risks and diseases tobacco use can produce, they are more likely to avoid picking up the habit rather than if you bluntly lecture them and say, “smoking is bad for you.” If you tell your teen that using tobacco is bad and you are unable to back it up with solid reasons, your adolescent will not believe that smoking is detrimental to their entire body - the “prevention speech” will not sink in.

Inform your teen that on top of ruining their lungs, smoking strains the heart and can potentially cause cancer. It not only affects a person’s internal composition, but smoking also affects their appearance. It causes bad breath and discoloration of teeth and fingernails. Smokeless tobacco can cause these problems as well as tooth decay or even loss of their jaw.

Start talking to your child about tobacco use when they are young (as young as 5 or 6 years old) and continue through high school. Many kids start using tobacco when they are very young, so if you start having the discussions early, your child is more likely to skip the thoughts of temptation at a young age.

If you are a tobacco user yourself, you can still help. You may want to try to quit smoking yourself, but if you feel that you cannot do this, avoid smoking around your teen.

How can teachers help?

Tobacco use prevention education is critical for delaying the onset of and decreasing the prevalence of adolescent smoking, and for preventing continued smoking into adulthood. Effective youth tobacco use prevention programs influence students’ anti-use knowledge, attitudes, and behavior concerning smoking. Teachers who implement prevention education into their classrooms have had positive results in tobacco use prevention.

How can school personnel help?

It is said that school support personnel such as bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, security guards, etc. are those who know the students the best. As an employee of the school you have an obligation to look out for the students you come in contact with. When you see students using tobacco you should warn them that it is not a healthy habit to get into. You should be educated about the effects of tobacco use and able to inform the students how to quit. It is important to be a good influence on your students regardless of what your personal habits are. Remember that no matter how little contact you have with your students you still have a significant impact on them.

Intervention - What can you do if a teen is already using tobacco?
Find out why the child began using tobacco. If they are stressed out you may be able to help them find a different way of dealing with their overload of problems. If their reason for taking up the habit is to impress their friends, talk to them about it. Ask them, “are these kids really good friends of yours if they are asking you to change who you are?” An adolescent’s response to this may not be friendly, but it will prompt them to think about it.

Try to avoid telling the teen to quit; adolescents do not like doing what adults tell them to do and they often execute the opposite action. If you ask questions and gain a solid relationship with the child, they will feel more comfortable in confiding in you; they will be more apt to listen.

If you are a smoker yourself, try to quit; if you have quit smoking (recently or in the far past), tell your child what it was like for you. Tell them what you went through, but that you did it. If you have not quit yet, try it with the teen. It may help to have a “partner” in the process.

The American Cancer Society has 5 D’s to get through the quitting process:
 * Delay (you may crave it now, but it will go away)
 * Deep breath (calm down)
 * Drink water (flush out the chemicals)
 * Do something else (take your mind off of it, begin a healthy habit)
 * Discuss (talk about what you are going through during the process)

There are many ways to go about quitting tobacco use. Interventions range from quitting cold turkey to prescription medications. For some people quitting is an easy decision but most find it a very challenging obstacle.

Smoking cigarettes is the most popular form of tobacco use for adolescents, therefore helping students quit smoking is a major issue. The first step on the road to quitting smoking is to quit "cold turkey". Unfortunately, because cigarettes are so addicting it is not always easy to just wake up one morning and decide you are no longer a smoker. Another idea is to join a support group. Some people find that the support of others going through, or have gone through, the same situation makes quitting a lot easier.

A different approach to quit smoking is medication. Nicotine is one of the main addictive chemicals found in cigarettes. Nicotine products, such as gum, patch, inhaler, spray, or lozenge, have been created to help the quitter deal with nicotine withdrawals. These products are sold over the counter except for the inhaler and nasal spray.

Bupropion SR is another prescription drug that does not contain nicotine. The main purpose of medications such as Bupropion SR is to help with the withdrawal process lessen the urge to smoke. Heavy drinkers should not use Brupropion SR. Varenicline is another non-nicotine drug made to help people quit smoking. Varenicline is a little bit different from Bupropion SR because it also blocks the effects of nicotine when people start to smoke again. People with kidney problems should not take this drug.

Certain precautions arise with prescription medications. You should not take Bupropion SR or Varenicline if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Ask your doctor about any other side effects that may occur. It is important to use the medication the way that your doctor prescribes it for you in order to achieve maximum results.

Statistics - Is it really a problem?
Here are some statistics straight from the American Lung Association website:
 * It is estimated that at least 4.5 million adolescents in the United States are cigarette smokers.
 * Nearly 90% of smokers begin smoking before their 21st birthday.
 * Approximately 20% of 12th graders, 12% of 10th graders, and 5.5% of 8th graders smoke cigarettes every day.
 * If tobacco use continues on the path it is currently on, it is predicted that 6.4 million children will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease.

Resources
American Cancer Society Link []

American Lung Association Link []

American Lung Association Statistics Link []

Kaboose Parenting Site Link []

Questions
Why might teens turn to smoking?

A. to fit in

B. to look cool

C. to experiment

D. to be rebellious

E. all of the above

Which is a predictor for adolescent smoking?

A. cigarette availability at home

B. alcohol, marijuana, or other illicit drug use

C. poor academic performance

D. all of the above

Which of the following might NOT be a reasonable warning sign of teen tobacco use?

A. their friends use tobacco

B. the smell of smoke on their personal belongings, clothes, or breath

C. overuse of breath mints or perfume (to cover up the smell)

D. loss of interest in their friends and/or activities

Which type of nicotine intervention requires a perscription?

A. gum

B. lozenge

C. nasal spray

D. patch

This page was made by Jenna Bates, Ashleigh Doxtader, Vickie Malegiannakis, and Nick Morisano.