Woodberry County
TOBACCO
“ We are proud to support preventative education for our youth , and we are proud to be a drug free workplace .”
Woodberry County
Sheriff ' s Office
407 7th Street • Sioux City , IA
712-279-6010
Kids , focus your energy towards an ABUSE FREE future and say NO to peer pressures !
˝Kids invest in your future by saying NO to drugs and remaining college bound˝
1-800-579-4425 www . libertynationalonline . com Member FDIC
Mcclintock insurance inc .
“ We are proud to insure a brighter drug free future for our youth !”
908 Pierce St . - Sioux City , IA 712-277-4600
Preventing Tobacco Use Among
Youth and Young Adults
Tobacco Use : A Preventable Epidemic
THE PROBLEM
Today ’ s teens and young adults can access information on millions of subjects almost instantly . But many of the same media that warn of the dangers of tobacco use also carry messages that smoking is cool — edgy — adult . That ’ s one reason nearly 4,000 kids under age 18 try their first cigarette every day . That ’ s almost 1.5 million youth a year . In fact , nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start smoking by age 18 , and 99 % start by age 26 . On any given day , more than 2,500 youth and young adults who have been occasional smokers will become regular smokers . And at least a third of these replacement smokers will die early from smoking .
The percentage of youth who smoke went down every year between 1997 and 2003 .
But since then , the decrease in teen smoking has slowed and the use of some forms of tobacco by youth has leveled out . Today , one out of four high school seniors and one out of three young adults under age 26 are smokers .
THE CAUSES
Young people start using tobacco for many reasons . These are some of the most important :
The Tobacco Industry
Fewer adults are smoking today , both because many have quit and because about half of long-term smokers die from diseases caused by their tobacco use . So , cigarette companies look to young people as replacement smokers . They use a variety of marketing strategies to encourage new consumers to try their products , and to continue using them .
Susceptibility of Youth and Young Adults
Adolescence and young adulthood are the times when people are most susceptible to starting tobacco use . Young people are more vulnerable and more influenced by marketing than adults . They are also more willing to take risks , even with their health . When smoking is portrayed as a social norm among others who are seen as cool , sophisticated , rebellious , or fun-loving , teens often respond by copying the behavior and trying cigarettes themselves . If their friends smoke , or their siblings smoke , they are even more likely to smoke themselves .
And young people are sensitive to nicotine . The younger they are when they start using tobacco , the more likely they are to become addicted to nicotine and the more heavily addicted they will become .
Young people sometimes believe nothing can hurt them . Facts about health problems that could happen in middle age — or even right away — may mean little to them now . Many teens and young adults don ’ t realize how addictive nicotine is . Some may have a tough time making healthy choices or sorting out tobacco myths from facts . Others may want to fit in with a group or seem older , edgier , or more socially grounded . And images that encourage tobacco use are everywhere — from the Internet to the movies to big , bright advertisements at convenience stores . All of these factors make youth a prime market for tobacco products .
8 | Iowa - 2014 | abusemagazine . org
Source : www . surgeongeneral . gov