Youth Prevention

Research

ADHD treatment may reduce smoking risk
Recent research reports that treating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) soon after their diagnosis is related to a reduced likelihood that the children will smoke as teens. Researchers conducted a two-year study that assessed the smoking rates of three different teen populations: 154 ADHD teens treated with a drug, 103 teens with untreated ADHD, and 188 teens without ADHD. Data revealed that teens in the ADHD treatment group had similar smoking rates as the group without ADHD, 7.1% and 8% respectively. The prevalence of smoking among ADHD teens without treatment was 10.9%. Any decrease in smoking rates is notable, and this study suggests that treating teens with ADHD may contribute to reduced risk for smoking. Click here to read more about this study published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Click here to read the study abstract.

Popular kids in US and Mexico more likely to smoke, studies show
According to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, popular students are more likely to smoke cigarettes than less popular students. A predominantly Hispanic/Latino sample of 1,950 students from seven Southern California high schools in the ninth and tenth grades were asked in October 2006 and again in 2007 about their smoking behaviors in the past 30 days, perceived attitudes about smoking among their peers and close friends, and who their best friends were at school. Popularity was measured by the frequency students were named by another student as a friend. Students who thought that their friends were smokers were more likely to smoke, and popular students became smokers at an earlier age than less popular students. Studies conducted in Mexico and Southern California reported similar findings, which suggests that this is a valid conclusion. Click here to read more. Click here to read the study abstract.

top

Reports

Eight tips for talking with youth about tobacco
The Food and Drug Association (FDA) has published eight tips to assist parents in discussing tobacco use with their children or teens. Examples of the kinds of tips provided are to talk to youth early and often starting in middle school, and to provide youth with facts about tobacco and the health effects so that they can make an informed decision. Click here to read the eight tips.

Tobacco-free campuses: Promoting a culture of health
The federal government has launched a new initiative to make college campuses across the United States smoke-free. The launch of the Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative was inspired by the University of Michigan’s efforts to ban smoking on its campuses. Seventeen percent of U.S. colleges and universities, or 774 schools, have enacted a 100% smokefree campus policy with no exemptions, providing momentum for this initiative. The Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative contains various resources and educational tools to assist advocates in making other college campuses smoke-free or tobacco-free. Click here to read more. Click here to visit the TFCCI website and access a recording of the live webcast featuring the announcement of the initiative by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, Howard Koh.

Tobacco Control Legal Consortium's new publication "Cause and Effect"
The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium has released a new publication titled “Cause and Effect: Tobacco Marketing Increases Youth Tobacco Use.” This publication is based on the 2012 Surgeon General’s report “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General” and discusses how tobacco companies market tobacco products to youth, and contribute to their tobacco use. It also suggests policy options that can be implemented to reduce the impact of tobacco marketing to youth at the point of sale. Click here to access this publication.

Limiting "teen-friendly" cigars
ChangeLab Solutions, a California-based organization, has released a fact sheet that addresses policy options available to communities for limiting the sale of cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars that appeal to teens. ChangeLab Solutions provided this information to inform local efforts in California, but the fact sheet can be useful to tobacco control efforts anywhere in the U.S. Click here to access this fact sheet.

State survey finds about 10 percent of Florida teens are smoking (FL)
Smoking among high school students in Florida is decreasing, says the Florida Department of Health. According to the 2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, the percentages of high school students that reported cigar and smokeless tobacco use have dropped to 11% and 6%, respectively. The decrease is attributed to the launch of an aggressive anti-tobacco campaign in the state and the approval of an amendment that required the state to invest in smoking cessation programs. Click here to read more. Click here to access the full report.

High school smoking sees big decline in Utah (UT)
A recent report states that youth in Utah are smoking at lower rates than ever reported. The Tobacco Prevention and Control in Utah Report shows that only 5.9% of high school students in Utah reported that they smoked cigarettes in 2011 compared to 11.9% in 2009. There have been efforts in the state over the past ten years to reduce the number of youth that smoke with the implementation of smoke-free policies in 21 school districts, and tobacco prevention education. To read more about this report, click here. Click here to access the full report.

top

Back to Table of Contents