Smoking

Advertising works. And the tobacco industry knows this. So, they keep promoting the infamous Marlboro Man to young men and Virginia Slims to young women. Whether it's an ad in youth-oriented magazines, such as Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, or retail outlet promotions, cigarette advertising ignites teens' desire to smoke, according to a new study

According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey, nearly 7 percent of 8th graders, 12.3 percent of 10th graders, and about 20 percent of 12th graders smoked cigarettes. Help reduce tobacco use by getting involved in national Kick Butts Day on March 24, 2010.

Does your coalition know how many tobacco and alcohol retailers are near your community's schools? Research shows that minimizing the number of alcohol outlets in your area may help reduce a variety of alcohol-related problems, but what about tobacco? A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health addresses this question, examining the relationship between the proximity of tobacco retailers to schools and adolescent cigarette smoking.

 Current research indicates that controlling or minimizing the amount of alcohol outlets in a specific area may reduce a variety of alcohol-related problems. Unfortunately few studies exist on the possible impact of controlling or reducing the number of tobacco retailers in a given area. Some research suggests that the density and proximity of tobacco retailers may influence tobacco use initiation among youth if they have easy access. The American Journal of Public Health recently published a study contributing to this body of research. A 2009 article, Density of tobacco retailers near schools: Effects on tobacco use among students, examines the relationship between the density and proximity of tobacco retailers near schools and adolescent cigarette smoking.

A new study reported in the Health Behavior News Service found that plainer cigarette packages, perceived as boring or unattractive, would make smoking much less appealing to teens.

Even before adolescents try smoking, they have preconceived ideas about what smoking is like. They often glean these images from the appeal of a cigarette pack. Colors, images, logos and font sizes all play a part in increasing teens’ susceptibility to future tobacco use.

The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction and to mental illness, according to Tobacco: The Smoking Gun, a new white paper released this week by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. The paper was commissioned by The Citizens´ Commission to Protect the Truth, a group of all former U.S. Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare and of Health and Human Services, all former U.S. Surgeons General, and all former Directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last week, the full House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products. HR 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is aimed at keeping tobacco manufacturers from enticing young people to smoke and to assist current smokers in quitting.

Young people who lived in towns with regulations that banned smoking in restaurants were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than those in communities with no regulations or weak ones, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The Massachusetts study demonstrates that environmental strategies, such as laws that ban smoking, can be effective in addressing alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

A study, released by the Health Behavior News Service, showed that adolescents who have tried cigarettes by seventh grade are much more likely to become regular smokers and to engage in high risk behaviors later on, such as selling drugs and binge drinking.