Youth Prevention

Research

U.S. gay teens more likely to smoke, drink – study
According to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gay and lesbian students are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their heterosexual counterparts. The researchers surveyed 156,000 high school students between 2001 and 2009 on risk taking behaviors, including cigarette consumption. The results show that 27.8% of gay and lesbian students reported smoking more than ten cigarettes a day, compared to only 9.1% of heterosexual students. The authors stress the importance of supporting these young people as they are more prone to feeling rejected by their families, thus engaging in risky behaviors. Read more here and read the report here.

'Predatory' cigarette marketing to U.S. black youth: Study
A new study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research concludes that menthol cigarettes have been aggressively marketed to African American youth. Observational data were collected from tobacco retail outlets within a half mile of 91 California high schools on cigarette ads, promotions, and prices for menthol and non-menthol cigarettes. The data showed that as the proportion of black students increased, the amount of menthol cigarette marketing, promotions, and price incentives increased in the surrounding neighborhood. The prices and amount of promotions of the leading brand of non-menthol cigarettes did not differ by school or neighborhood demographics. Click here to read more, or click here to read the abstract of the research.

Social environmental and individual factors associated with smoking among a panel of adolescent girls
According to a longitudinal study published in Women and Health, adolescent girls’ smoking habits are affected by both individual and social environmental factors. High school girls were surveyed in ninth and twelfth grade about their smoking habits, personal beliefs and aspects of their social environment. Researchers discovered that different factors affected the girls’ smoking habits depending on their grade level. Having friends who smoked was a stronger predictor of personal smoking status in twelfth grade than in ninth grade. Black ninth graders were more likely to smoke than white ninth graders, but white twelfth graders were more likely to smoke than black twelfth graders. Read the study abstract here.

Obese girls more than twice as likely to be addicted to smoking
According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, obese girls are more than twice as likely to develop high-level nicotine addiction compared to other girls. Researchers analyzed data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) to determine obesity levels and levels of nicotine addiction. Although researchers do not understand the nature of the correlation, they state that it is important for parents to model positive behaviors by not smoking and engaging in healthy eating habits. Read more here and read the study abstract here.

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Reports

New national report shows that state/federal partnership has reduced illegal tobacco sales to minors to an all-time low
A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) concludes that retailer violations of laws banning tobacco sales to minors are at their lowest in the fourteen-year history of the Synar Amendment program. The Synar Amendment requires all states to enforce prohibitions on tobacco sales to persons under eighteen. Since the program was begun, there has been a consistent downward trend in tobacco sales to minors. In fiscal year 2010, the average national retailer violation rate of tobacco sales was down to 9.3%, and 47 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia achieved retailer non-compliance rates below 15%. Click here to read a press release from SAMHSA about the Synar report.

truth® youth smoking prevention campaign kicks off annual summer tour
truth, the nation’s largest smoking prevention campaign for youth, began its twelfth annual nationwide summer tour on Friday, June 24th, with a stop in Dallas, Texas. Traveling throughout the United States this summer, truth continues its life-saving mission to educate young people about the health effects, addictiveness and social consequences of tobacco use. Young adult truth “tour riders” will interact with teens across the country at local stops of popular summer music tours and sporting events. Every year, the truth riders connect with more than 500,000 teens, allowing teens to experience the truth campaign first-hand. This year, tour riders and their signature orange “truth truck” will make more than fifty stops across 29 states, as they travel to some of the season’s hottest teen-oriented events. Click here for more information, or click here to see the schedule for the tour.

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International

Anti-smoking policies for adults also reduce kids' smoking (Australia)
Tobacco control policies aimed at adults also reduce smoking among the adolescent population, according to a study conducted in Australia. Data from a nationally representative study suggest that cigarette price increases, greater per-capita tobacco control spending, and better implementation of smoke-free policies were associated with reductions in smoking prevalence among youth aged 12-17. The researchers note that these policies affect adolescents for three reasons: first, as adult smoking decreases, adolescents no longer see smoking as an adult activity; second, if parents quit smoking, their children will be less likely to begin smoking; and third, anti-smoking campaigns and programs influence children’s decisions. The authors state that tobacco control policies and programs must be well funded and consistently enforced in order to affect adults and adolescents. Read the press release here and read the abstract here in the journal Addiction.

Prescribing of nicotine replacement therapy to adolescents in England (England)
New findings reveal that changes to England’s age restrictions on prescriptions of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) had no effect on prescribing practices. In England, NRT was made available to 12 to 17 year olds in 2005, so researchers measured monthly rates of prescriptions in that age group between 2002 and 2009. The results show that there was no increase in prescriptions for children ages 12 to 17 after the licensing recommendations were changed. Authors suggest that smoking cessation support be made more readily available to children ages 12 to 17. Read the study abstract here in Addiction.

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