While the number of adult smokers is declining, the number of teenage smokers is increasing, even though teens know that smoking can kill them, HealthScout News reported July 29.According to the American Lung Association, from 1988 to 1998, the number of American adults who smoked declined 14.2 percent. But between 1991 and 1999, the number of teen smokers rose by more than 25 percent.
The increase in teen smoking is not because of a lack of education. According to a recent study of high-school students conducted by Northwestern University's Medical School in Chicago, Ill., teens are aware that smoking is bad for them.
"It was no surprise to our smokers that tobacco is harmful," said Dr. Irving Benuck, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Northwestern and lead researcher of the study. "Our smokers, our experimenters, and non-smokers all had equal awareness of the dangers of tobacco use. That tells me the schools are doing a good job with these programs, but it hasn't done much in reducing the number of kids who smoke. It's frustrating."
One physician thinks the problem is a lack of experience. "In adolescents, the feeling of invincibility is almost inversely proportional to their wisdom," noted Dr. Edward Truemper, medical director of the pediatric intensive-care unit at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, Ga.
One tool that can help physicians identify adolescent smokers and determine the characteristics of tobacco users is a short questionnaire and urine test.
Another is a new program to help teens quit smoking. Previously, physicians who identified teen smokers found that they only had adult smoking-cessation programs to help them quit. The American Lung Association has since developed the Not-On-Tobacco (NOT) school-based program to specifically address adolescent smoking.
"Kids are not concerned with long-term health issues," said Shirley Westrate, a former high-school teacher who piloted the program in Florida. "Their concerns are 'My girlfriend doesn't want me to smoke,' 'I can't be on the football team if I smoke,' or 'It's costing me too much money.' One of the greatest motivators is the day you figure out how much it costs and what you could do with that money -- how many CDs you could buy, or shoes, or tanks of gas."
Doctors also are trying to avoid a new generation of smokers by working with parents of newborns. This spring, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released "Tobacco's Toll: The Implication for Pediatricians." It represents the organization's official policy statement on the role of pediatricians in preventing smoking.
"It is our position that the battle against tobacco must begin with the first interview the pediatrician does whenever the patient enters your practice," said Dr. Edward Jacobs, a pediatrician and chairman of AAP's Committee on Substance Abuse. "You hope it would be at the pre-natal interview prior to the birth. Just as you ask about other family illness and genetic influences, one of the questions one should ask is, 'Do you smoke? What are your attitudes?' and begin to provide some knowledge."
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