Youth Prevention
Research
Cigarette Use Among High School Students —
United States, 1991–2005
To examine changes in cigarette use among high school students
in the United States during 1991-2005, CDC analyzed data
from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The
report, published in the July 7th issue of CDC’s Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report, summarizes the results of that
analysis, which indicated that, although lifetime, current,
and current frequent cigarette use was stable or increased
during the 1990s and then decreased significantly from the
late 1990s to 2003, prevalence was unchanged during 2003--2005.
To achieve the 2010 objective, the downward trend in youth
smoking must resume.
Factors that may have contributed to the lack of decline
in cigarette use include smaller inflation-adjusted annual
increases in the retail price of cigarettes during 2003–2005
compared with 1997– 2001, less funding for comprehensive
state-wide tobacco-use prevention programs, substantial
increases in tobacco industry expenditures on tobacco advertising
and promotion in the United States from $5.7 billion in
1997 to $15.2 billion in 2003, and potentially less youth
exposure to mass media smoking-prevention campaigns.
Click here
to view the entire report and here
to access more information on the 2005 YRBS data. Click
here
to view a statement from Action on Smoking and Health focusing
on the rising medical costs that will result from an increase
in youth smoking rates.
Youth-rated movies contain more images of smoking
than R-rated movies
Dartmouth researchers have determined that youth-rated movies
contain more images of cigarette smoking than R-rated films.
The research team studied the 100 highest grossing movies
each year from 1996-2004, identifying that although smoking
on screen has decreased over time, it was still depicted
in 75 percent of youth-rated films in 2004, including G-,
PG- and PG-13-rated movies. The images of smoking in these
movies have a much greater potential to reach youth audiences,
because they are seen by three times as many youths than
R-rated movies. A report of the findings, called "Trends
in Movie Tobacco Use: 1996-2004," was issued by the
American Legacy Foundation, which funded the research with
the National Cancer Institute. Click here to view the press
release from Dartmouth, here
to view a statement from the American Legacy Foundation,
and here
to read the entire report.
Path from first cigarette to addiction shorter than expected
Researchers at McGill University have found that signs of
physical addiction to nicotine can occur as soon as five
months after a first puff among teens. The study is published
in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Click here
to learn more about the results.
Parental cigarette use related to increased cigarette
and drug use among children
Research published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
examines smoking, heavy drinking and marijuana use across
three generations. The study indicates that the children
of a parent who uses any of these substances are more likely
to smoke, binge drink or use marijuana in adolescence and
adulthood. Drug transmission across generations, the study
found, was for a general tendency to use these substances
rather than to use any one specifically, with the exception
of tobacco. The children of cigarette smokers are more likely
to use drugs in general and to use tobacco. Click here
to learn more.
Using anti-industry messages to prevent smoking
among high-risk teens
Research published in Health Education and Behavior examined
whether reactions to anti-industry advertisements, the attitudes
these ads target, and the relationship between these attitudes
and smoking differed by social bonding and sensation-seeking
risk factors among teens ages 12-17 years old. Results indicated
that anti-industry ad reactions and the strength of anti-industry
attitudes were comparable between high- and low-sensation
seeking adolescents, whereas weakly bonded adolescents had
less favorable ad reactions and weaker anti-industry attitudes
than strongly bonded adolescents. Social bonding also moderated
the influence of sensation seeking on anti-industry ad reactions.
View the abstract
for more information.
Teen girls smoke to look sexy
A study conducted by the New York City Health Department
has found that the HBO show “Sex and the City”
has a major impact on their decision to smoke cigarettes.
The study found that teen girls:
- Think cigarettes make them look experienced, rebellious,
and sophisticated
- See cigarettes as accessories like handbags and shoes
- Felt that smoking helped them fit in with their friends
and socialize with older kids
- See smoking as a way to deal with stress and depression
- Continue smoking because they're afraid they'll gain weight
if they quit
Click here
to learn more.
Depression tied to risky behavior, including smoking, in
teen girls
A study funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse
has found that girls who only occasionally used alcohol,
tobacco, or drugs are two and a half times more likely to
suffer depression than girls who abstained. Click here
to learn more about the study, which has been published
in the Archives of Women's Mental Health.
Effects of pro- and anti-tobacco ad messages on youth susceptibility
An article in the June 2006 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco
Research examines the impact of exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco
media on adolescents' susceptibility to smoking. The researchers
found that recall of people smoking in television programs
and pro-tobacco advertisements in stores was associated
with susceptibility and that exposure to antitobacco ads
on television protected against susceptibility. However,
anti-tobacco ads were not sufficient to reduce the harmful
effects of adolescent exposure to pro-tobacco media. View
the abstract
for more information.
Menthol cigarettes serve as starter products for
youth
A study in the June 2006 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research
uses data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey to demonstrate
that menthol cigarettes are a starter product that may be
associated with smoking uptake by youth. Menthol cigarettes
are associated with higher levels of nicotine dependence
than non-menthol products. View the abstract
for more information.
top
Resources
Screen Out! Guide helps parents address smoking
in movies
At the World Conference on Tobacco or Health, the Smoke
Free Movies Action Network launched ScreenOut!, the first
campaign designed to help America's parents protect their
kids against tobacco imagery in movies - a primary influence
on new adolescent smokers. The campaign has developed a
new tool for parents, the Screen Out! Parent's Guide to
Smoking, Movies and Children's Health. The guide provides
families with the facts about smoking in the movies and
the trend's impact on youth smoking the United States. It
also provides parents and civic groups the information,
tools and strategies they need to make a difference on a
national scale. Click here
for additional information.
top
International
Countries in the U.K. may increase minimum smoking
age
Scotland is raising the minimum age to smoke from 16 to
18 following a statement by the British Medical Association
calling for an increase. England and Wales are considering
similar increases. Click here
for information on the impending increase in Scotland and
here
for information on considerations by England and Wales.
top
National
Lorillard to help curb illegal internet sales
Lorillard Tobacco Co. has signed an agreement with 33 attorneys
general to terminate shipments of cigarettes to customers
that are found by the states to engage in illegal Internet
and mail-order sales, to reduce the amount of cigarettes
made available to direct customers found to be engaged in
the illegal re-sale to Internet vendors, and to suspend
retailers found to be engaging in illegal sales from their
incentive programs. A similar agreement was reached with
Philip Morris USA in January. Click here
for more information and to view the protocol.
Youth anti-tobacco activists hold rally at MPAA
headquarters
Youth anti-tobacco activists held a rally at the headquarters
of the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) in
Washington, D.C. during the World Conference on Tobacco
OR Health. They held a press conference calling on the MPAA
to take action to reduce smoking in the movies, including
requiring an "R" rating for any movies with a
non-historical depiction of smoking. Click here
for additional information.
Shareowners Push TimeWarner on Movies Depicting
Smoking
In response to research from Dartmouth Medical School indicating
a relationship between smoking depictions in movies and
youth smoking, shareowners of TimeWarner have pressed the
company to develop a policy regarding such depictions. Shareowners
are now expressing concern about the new policy’s
vague wording and potential loopholes, as well as the lack
of discussion on implementation and enforcement. Click here
to learn more.
Baffling Q’s and A’s highlight the truth®
in new documentary-style campaign
The latest campaign from truth®, the American Legacy
Foundation®'s national youth smoking prevention campaign,
captures real people's reactions to the marketing tactics
of the tobacco industry. The campaign, called truth®
documentary for the style in which the ads are shot, features
one correspondent and a camera crew investigating the absurdity
behind some ideas from Big Tobacco. View the press
release for more information.
Computer software aims to curb teen smoking through
imagery
A computer software program, developed by the Canadian company
Aprilage, shows teens what they will look like as they get
older if they smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. Click here
for more information.
top
States
District of Columbia
Sen. Lautenberg says discounted cigarettes on Capitol
Hill send wrong message to children
Senator Lautenberg, who co-sponsored the law banning smoking
on airplanes, is hoping to do away with discounts on cigarettes
at the U.S. Senate. He says that the discounts undermine
efforts to curb youth tobacco use and send the wrong message
to visiting schoolchildren. Click here
for more information.
Hawaii
Tobacco sales to Hawaii youth remain low
Federally-mandated inspections of retail outlets have revealed
that only 13 out of 221 stores visited in Hawaii sold tobacco
to minors. According to the Health Director, the rates of
illegal tobacco sales in Hawaii have dropped from 44.5 percent
to 5.9 percent during the past 10 years. Click here
for more information.
Illinois
Illinois tobacco retailers educated about fake IDs
The Coalition for Responsible Tobacco Retailing recently
held a “We Card” training session for store
clerks in Illinois to educate them about youth access laws
and how to identify fake IDs. If an employee is caught selling
tobacco to a minor, the state will fine the salesperson
$50 and there may be local penalties as well. Illinois has
a second party law allowing a cashier to refuse to sell
tobacco if he or she has reason to believe the purchaser
is buying it for a minor. Click here
for additional information.
Indiana
Indiana youth prefer chewing to smoking
Survey results released by the Indiana Prevention Research
Center indicate that there has been a shift from cigarette
smoking toward chewing and pipe tobacco among high school
students in the past year. Click here
to learn more about the results.
Iowa
Youth smoking decreases in Iowa
The Iowa Youth Survey shows an 8% decrease in the youth
smoking rate since 1999. The survey, sponsored by various
state offices and Iowa State University, was given to more
than 98,000 students in grades 6, 8 and 11. Click here
to learn more.
New York
NYC releases list of businesses selling cigarettes to minors
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Consumer
Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Jonathan Mintz have released
a list of 195 "dirty dealers" in New York City
that have had their tobacco retail licenses revoked over
the past two years for selling to minors on two or more
occasions. Overall, the investigation found that 84 percent
of cigarette dealers do abide by the age restriction. Click
here
for additional information.
Mississippi
Mississippi tobacco control program works with churches
to prevent youth smoking
The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi is partnering
with churches to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking
among 4th-6th grade children. The faith-based organizations
received $1,500 grants which they have used to develop materials
that incorporate scripture and other faith-based references
with tobacco education activities. Click here
to learn more.
Missouri
Annual sting catches no Missouri businesses selling tobacco
to minors
This year, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department
was pleasantly surprised when none of the 50 randomly selected
stores it visited sold tobacco to a minor. This is the first
time in the 10-year history of the sting operations that
100% compliance has been achieved. Click here
for more information.
Montana
Adolescent smoking down but chewing up in Montana
The 2005 Youth Behavior Risk Survey examined approximately
2,000 youth in Montana, finding a decrease in the rate of
smoking from 12 percent in 2001 to 7.8 percent in 2005 among
middle school students, and from 28 percent smoking in 2001
to 17.1 percent in 2005 for high school students. However,
use of chewing tobacco jumped from 8 percent five years
ago to 13.5 percent last year among high schoolers. Click
here
for additional information.
Montana conducts sting operations to reduce sales
of cigarettes to youth
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
has been working with Havre Encourages Long-range Prevention
(HELP), a nonprofit agency that conducts sting operations
to help the state reduce sales of cigarettes to minors.
HELP conducts about 1,200 inspections throughout the state
in one year. Click here
to learn more.
Ohio
‘Debunkify’ campaign targets young tobacco users
in Ohio
The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation has
launched the second phase of stand, its youth smoking prevention
program. The new campaign aims to debunk common misperceptions
about tobacco use and secondhand smoke among 12- to 24-year-olds
in the state. The campaign began with a 4-week teaser program
consisting of mysterious “DEBUNKIFY” ads and
life-sized cutouts placed in public areas around the state.
For more information on Debunkify, visit www.debunkify.com.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania promotes anti-chewing tobacco message at Little
League Baseball World Series
The Pennsylvania Department of Health promoted an anti-chewing
tobacco message at the Little League Baseball World Series
held in Williamsport on August 18th-27th. The Department
has partnered with Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco
Education Program (NSTEP) to provide educational materials
to attendees about the dangers of chewing tobacco. The Department
also launched a new Web site on Aug. 18th, http://WhereIsPete.org,
which is a teaser of an upcoming anti-chewing tobacco advertising
campaign that is set to air in mid-September. Click here
for more information.
South Carolina
SC now fining youth for possession of tobacco products
South Carolina has passed a state law that will fine youth
$25 if they are caught possessing cigarettes or other tobacco
products. Click here
to learn more.
Teen Smokers Face Penalties Under New Law
South Carolina minors caught with cigarettes or other tobacco
products will face a $25 fine, community service and forced
enrollment in an approved smoking-cessation program under
a new law aimed at preventing youth tobacco use. Supporters
say the law could help curb teen smoking and give parents
and schools another tool to prevent minors from using tobacco
products. Click here for more information. Click here
for more information.
Back to Table of Contents
