Youth Prevention

Research

Trends in tobacco use among adolescents: 2002 to 2008
Results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate mixed trends in adolescent tobacco use from 2002 to 2008. The survey asked people 12 to 17 years of age about their use of tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and smokeless tobacco), when they first used them, and if they had used them in the past month. Comparing rates from 2002 to rates in 2008, there is a decline in the use of tobacco in the past month (from 15.2% to 11.4%), but the rate of recent initiation remained stable (from 6.7% to 6.2%) over time. Click here to read the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report.
 
Perceptions of risk from substance use among adolescents
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate that the perception of risk associated with cigarette use has reached 70.0% among adolescents aged 12 to 17. This perception held constant when data were split by age group, although when analyzed by gender, females were more likely than males to perceive great risk in smoking one or more packs of cigarettes daily. The NSDUH data also address the use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and LSD. Click here to read the report, issued by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Susceptibility predicts smoking risk among Mexican-American youth
Whether non-smoking Mexican-American adolescents go on to experiment with smoking depends largely on cognitive susceptibility to smoking, or the lack of a firm commitment not to smoke, a study finds. Non-smoking Mexican-American adolescents 11 to 13 years old were followed for three years to determine if there was a difference in smoking experimentation among susceptible and non-susceptible adolescents. Those categorized as susceptible at baseline were 2.6 times more likely to have experimented with cigarettes over the course of the three years, making it a strong predictor of experimentation. Previous studies have indicated that susceptibility to smoking is important in other ethnic groups; these findings suggest that being susceptible to smoking is not dependent upon ethnicity. Read more here. The study was published here in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Watching movies featuring characters who smoke negatively influences Mexican-American teens
According to a new study, Mexican-American adolescents who are exposed to cigarette smoking in movies are more likely to start smoking themselves, potentially as part of the acculturation process. The study followed 1,328 adolescents 11 to 13 years old for four years, evaluating exposure to movies depicting tobacco use and whether acculturation plays a role in film exposure and smoking experimentation. Seventeen percent of participating adolescents had experimented with cigarettes by the end of the study, a gain of 7%, with increased exposure to smoking scenes related to increased chances of smoking. The researchers say this supports the World Health Organization’s guidelines that encourage countries to use film rating systems to restrict youth access to movies containing scenes with cigarette smoking. Click here to read more or click here to read the abstract of the article, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

High-sensation seeking youth drawn to sweet-tasting cigarettes, study finds
According to a recent study, teens that gravitate toward novel experiences are more likely to be attracted to sweet flavored cigarettes than their low sensation-seeking peers. Among the thrill-seekers, cigarettes marketed as sweetly flavored were more appealing than cigarette packs with traditional descriptors. These findings support the rationale behind the FDA’s recent ban on flavored cigarettes—that sweet flavors can draw young people into an addiction to cigarettes. Click here to read more. Click here to read the abstract of the study in Tobacco Control.

Changes in age trajectories of smoking experimentation during the California Tobacco Control Program
Research published in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that since its start in 1990, the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) has been successful in decreasing experimentation with cigarettes from 45% to 10% in 12 to 17 year olds. The study investigated the trajectory of smoking initiation among birth cohorts of 42,000 Californians aged 12 to 24 from 1990 to 2005. While the CTCP had an impact on younger adolescents, experimentation rates remained stable after age 17, and rates increased in young adult men over age twenty. This increase may be due to a change in marketing strategies by tobacco companies to target young adults, as the shift in marketing approaches coincided with the start of the CTCP. Click here to read the abstract of the study.

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Reports

The BACCHUS Network announces new Tobacco-Free Campus Policy Certification
The BACCHUS Network™ is currently accepting applications for a new Tobacco-Free Campus Policy Certification. This certification recognizes college and university campuses that have implemented strong tobacco policies, demonstrating excellence in their commitment to the health and safety of students, staff, faculty, and visitors. This award will provide campuses with recognition that can be helpful in recruiting students and community learners, as well as grant opportunities from prominent health-related organizations and agencies. BACCHUS will provide campuses with an award logo that can be displayed on websites and in printed materials. Applications are due by January 31, 2010. Click here to read the announcement from BACCHUS. For more information and an application, please visit: www.tobaccofreeU.org and click on the Certification for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy link.

Electronic cigarettes under fire for targeting Arizona kids (AZ)
In a hidden camera investigation, a local Phoenix television station found Arizona kiosk salesmen selling electronic cigarettes to minors. According to the Electronic Cigarette Association, the products should not be sold to minors, should not have flavors that appeal to children, should not be sold at mall kiosks, and retailers should not make health claims about them. The investigation found that kiosks at local malls broke all of these guidelines, repeatedly selling the products to children. Read more here.

Survey: Majority of retailers comply with tobacco age law (KY)
The 2009 Annual Synar Buying Survey shows that 96.5% of Kentucky retailers complied with state laws preventing tobacco sales to minors in 2008. Despite the high levels of compliance, Kentucky youth rank second highest in the nation for cigarette use, demonstrating the problem of social access to tobacco in the home and among peers and reflecting the cultural norms of the tobacco-producing areas of the state. Click here to read more.

Rate of tobacco sales to minors rises in Nebraska (NE)
The rate of underage tobacco sales in Nebraska is 13.6%, according to the yearly statewide assessment. This represents an increase from 10.7% in 2005, and follows a yearly upward trend occurring since then. The director of the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health encourages merchants to review their protocols, always ask for identification, and to carefully examine the identification presented in order to curb sales to minors. Click here to read more.

International

‘Third of shops’ selling tobacco to minors (Ireland)
The recently published National Tobacco Retail Audit – 2009 Monitoring Report found that although overall legal compliance in Ireland has gone up, about one third of shops and licensed premises are still illegally selling tobacco products to minors. Compliance at licensed premises has increased by 37% since 2008 (from 28% to 65%); compliance at retailers has increased by 8% since 2008 (from 60% to 66%). The chief executive of Ireland’s Office of Tobacco Control argues that there is still a long way to go, despite the increase in compliance. Click here to read more, or click here to download the full tobacco report.

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