Research

Cigarette use among high school students- United States, 1991-2005
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report summarizing their analysis of the 1991-2005 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. The analysis revealed that youth smoking prevalence remained unchanged from 2003 to 2005. The CDC suggested factors that might have contributed to these figures including: the decline in the increase in the retail price of cigarettes, less exposure of youth to smoking prevention mass media campaigns, less funding for statewide prevention programs, and the increase in tobacco advertising and promotion expenditures. To read the release in The Journal of the American Medical Association, click here.

Global trend of smoking tobacco through a water pipe or hookah means more young people and women have taken up the habit
Research has shown that the growing popularity of smoking tobacco through a water pipe is a dangerous trend. The study revealed that a typical 30-60 minute session with water pipe was equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes. Water pipes, often called hookahs, are a new trend in the Eastern Mediterranean region as well as European and American cities, especially in college towns. Globally, this trend has increased the number of young people and women who smoke. For more information, click here.

California state PTA alarmed by most recent smoking statistics among California's youth, urges support of Proposition 86
A new report by the Department of Health Services revealed that smoking among youth in California is on the rise, showing an increase in smoking in both high school and middle school students. The message was not received well by the California State PTA, which has pledged to support Proposition 86 in an effort to curb youth smoking and save lives. The news release can be found here.

Family diner table prevents teen addictions
Recent research revealed that families who eat together at least five times a week cut their children’s risk of smoking, drinking, and drug use in half. The study was conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and has been met with support from the website SavingDinner.com, which offers free dining menus designed to facilitate family meals. For more information, click here.

Get wise to subliminal messages in cigarette ads: teens would be half as likely to smoke
Teens with above-average smoking media literacy are almost half as likely to smoke when compared to their less media-literate peers. The study, from the Journal of Adolescent Health, finds some of the first evidence to link media literacy to smoking prevalence and suggests that smoking media literacy training could be used to reduce teen smoking. Smoking media literacy includes an awareness of the motives and methods of advertisers. For more information, click here.

Early use of nicotine could increase susceptibility for life-long addiction
A new study reveled that nicotine exposure at a young age may have the ability to change the “hard-wiring” of the brain during adolescence, contributing to future susceptibility for addiction. The study used magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging to determine the effects of acute nicotine exposure to nerve cell membranes. The researchers found that the nicotine exposure induced changes in the brain, resulting in the breakdown of the nerve cell membranes. Overall, the study suggests that adolescent smokers have a higher probability of becoming life-long smokers, when compared to those smokers who start later in life. To read the news release, click here.

Peer and parental influences on longitudinal trajectories of smoking among African Americans and Puerto Ricans
The journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research identifies distinct trajectories of smoking behavior from adolescence to young adulthood among African American and Puerto Rican adolescents/young adults in an article published in October 2006. View the abstract by clicking here.

Association of cigarette smoking and media literacy about smoking among adolescents
An article in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health studied whether media literacy concerning tobacco use is independently associated with current smoking and susceptibility to smoking. Click here to view the abstract.

Reasons for wanting to quit: Ethnic differences among cessation-seeking adolescent smokers
The Summer 2006 issue of Ethnicity and Disease features a study that compares reasons for wanting to quit expressed by European Americans to those of African American youths. Click here to view the abstract.

The relationship of cigars, marijuana, and blunts to adolescent bidi use
In the September 2006 issue of Public Health Reports, and article examines why use of cigars and blunts is associated with bidi use among youths and how these patterns differ by race/ ethnicity. To view the abstract click here.

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Minnesota:

No more single cigarette sales in St. Paul
The St. Paul City Council voted to ban the sale of single cigarettes, citing the cigarette’s lack of a health warning label and the fact that their cheapness makes them more attractive to minors. The loose cigarettes are found at some convenience stores, gas stations, and liquor stores. The sale of loose cigarettes is a big concern for public health experts. To read more information, click here.

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United Methodist Men join effort to help reduce teen smoking
The Commission on United Methodist Men has joined a coalition of faith groups to help reduce teen smoking. The commission voted Sept. 16 to add its signature to a resolution that calls for increasing the cost of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products as one of the most effective ways of reducing smoking and other tobacco use among adolescents. Click here to learn more.

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Japan:

Cigarette vending machines to require ID cards from 2008
In an effort to curb the purchase of cigarettes by underage youth, the Tobacco Institute of Japan and other organizations announced their plan to introduce identification (ID) cards for cigarette vending machines. The ID cards will be required to use vending machines, but since the system has no biological identification checking feature, it will be hard to confirm the identity of the card user. To read more, click here.

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