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, an -->
United States
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
|
