Health Effects of Smoking Among Young
People
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Among young people, the short-term health consequences of smoking include
respiratory and nonrespiratory effects, addiction to nicotine, and the associated
risk of other drug use. Long-term health consequences of youth smoking are
reinforced by the fact that most young people who smoke regularly continue
to smoke throughout adulthood.1
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Cigarette smokers have a lower level of lung function than those persons
who have never smoked.1
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Smoking reduces the rate of lung growth.1
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In adults, cigarette smoking causes heart disease and stroke. Studies have
shown that early signs of these diseases can be found in adolescents who
smoke.1
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Smoking hurts young people's physical fitness in terms of both performance
and endurance---even among young people trained in competitive
running.1
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On average, someone who smokes a pack or more of cigarettes each day lives
7 years less than someone who never smoked.2
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The resting heart rates of young adult smokers are two to three beats per
minute faster than nonsmokers.1
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Smoking at an early age increases the risk of lung cancer. For most
smoking-related cancers, the risk rises as the individual continues to
smoke.1
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Teenage smokers suffer from shortness of breath almost three times as often
as teens who don't smoke, and produce phlegm more than twice as often as
teens who don't smoke.3
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Teenage smokers are more likely to have seen a doctor or other health
professionals for an emotional or psychological complaint.3
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Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol,
eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use
cocaine. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviors, such
as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.1
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References
1. CDC, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People---A Report
of the Surgeon General, 1994.
2. Lew EA, Garfinkel L. Differences in Mortality and Longevity
by Sex, Smoking Habits and Health Status, Society of Actuaries Transactions,
1987.
3. AJHP, Arday DR, Giovino GA, Schulman J, Nelson DE, Mowery
P, Samet JM, et al. Cigarette smoking and self-reported health problems among
U.S. high school seniors, 1982-1989, p. 111-116.
Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
August 1996
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