| Best Practices - Tobacco Prevention |
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ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING TOBACCO USE
“Controlling youth access to tobacco is most successful when legislation, media campaigns, merchant education, and community support are combined. Programs must be clear on their goals, audience, and message, and enforcement must be consistent.” Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Limiting youth access to tobacco with the Synar Amendment. PREVENTION Alert 1, 1998. |
In spite of trends in youth smoking prevalence during the 1970s and early 1980s (when youth smoking declined sharply), more recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that smoking rates for youth are on the rise (CDC 1996). Adolescence is also a period in which many youth begin regular use of cigarettes. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), approximately 3,000 youth become regular smokers every day, with nearly 70 percent of American smokers beginning to smoke during childhood (USDHHS 1994). One-third of the youth who smoke regularly will eventually die from smoking-related causes in adulthood (USDHHS 1994).
The risk of developing a tobacco-related health problem increases with the duration and intensity of use. These health problems include lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, nicotine dependence, reproductive health problems, and other forms of cancer (such as oral cancer). Other problems associated with smoking include accidental fires and burns, as well as involuntary smoking (exposure to second-hand smoke and fetal exposure to the negative effects of smoking).
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