-- These are from a 1997 document ! --
If adult smoking rates remain at the current level of about 26%, 18
million of the 70 million children now living in the United States will smoke
cigarettes as adults and nearly 5 million of them will die as a consequence.
As former Surgeon General Koop observed "This figure should alarm anyone who
is concerned with the future health of today's children"
(Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Prevalence Among Youth
Tobacco addiction is a childhood disease. More than 3 million children
under age 18 consume 947 million packs of cigarettes each year and 26 million
containers of smokeless tobacco, accounting for illegal sales of $1.26 billion
and profits of $221 million in 1988 (American Council on Science and Health
Special Report).
Each day more than 3,000 children start smoking (Office of the Inspector
General May 1990).
More and more young women are beginning to smoke-in fact. cigarette smoking
prevalence among adolescents is about equal for both males and females-between
18 and 19% (Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon General).
Prevalence Among Ethnic Minority Youth
'The 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) of youth in grades 9-12 found
smoking prevalence lower among African-Americans: 36% of white and 31% of
Hispanics, but only 16% of African-Americans reported smoking within the past
30 days. African-American and Asian adolescent males are less likely to use
smokeless tobacco than are white and Hispanic males, while Native American
males and females report higher rates of use than youth in other ethnic
groups. Nonetheless, ethnic patterns of smokeless tobacco use may vary by
region (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Average Age at Initiation
Three million children use smokeless tobacco product, the average age of
the first use is 10.8 years, and the mean age of initiating regular use is 12
years (Kids Against Tobacco Fact Sheet, AMA).
Seventy-five% of current adult smokers started smoking before 18th
birthday; research shows that the earlier a child starts using tobacco, the
more likely he/she will be unable to quit (Office of the Inspector General).
Two-thirds of adult males who use smokeless tobacco initiate use before
they are 21 years old (Children and Youth, D'Onafrio and Altman).
Among high school students who had ever smoked about one-quarter had smoked
their first cigarette by grade 6, one-half by grade 8, three-fourths by grade
9, and 94% by grade 11 (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman)..
Whites start smoking at a younger age than African-Americans, and males
tend to begin smoking earlier than females but girls catch up with higher
rates of initiation in grades 7-9 (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Addiction Starts Early
By the eighth grade 8% of both boys and girls report smoking a pack or more
of cigarettes in the past month, and this proportion more than doubles by
grade 10. Many light smokers make the transition to daily smoking by age 14
(Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
The Monitoring the Future Survey found that about 2/3rds (66%) of
graduating high school seniors reported ever smoking, 28% smoked in the past
30 days, 19% were daily smokers, and 11 % smoked a half-pack or more per day
(Children and Youth , D'Onofrio and ALtman).
The Monitoring the Future Survey excludes school dropouts, who smoke at a
rate as high as 75 or 80% (Children and Youth, D'Onofio and Altman).
Cessation Rates
Several studies indicate that from 18 to 24% of youth who smoke stop within
1 year. Data from Germany suggest that teenagers may go through several cycles
of on, regular smoking, and cessation before becoming either confirmed smokers
or quitters. In 1991, only 17% of graduating high school seniors who had ever
smoked regularly reported they did not smoke at all in the past 30 days
(Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Health Considerations
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 known compounds. including many that are
pharmacologically active, toxic, mutagenic. or carcinogenic. The start of even
modest cigarette smoking during the school-age years reduces lung function,
increases respiratory symptoms, and results in pathologic changes (Children
and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Girls who smoke and use oral contraceptive greatly increase their risk of
cardiovascular disease (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Youth Access
Minors are able to purchase cigarettes illegally about 80% of the time. All
but three states ban the sale of tobacco to minors under age of 18, but in
many states there is a serious problem of enforcing the law (Only two
States-Florida and Vermont-are actively enforcing their minors' access to
tobacco laws statewide! (Office of the Inspector General)
Eighty-five percent of youth 12-17 years of age buy cigarettes at
convenience stores and gas stations, 50% buy cigarettes from large stores, and
15% buy cigarettes from vending machines (Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon
General).
The pervasive availability of tobacco products convey messages that tobacco
products are safe, in great demand, and an integral part of everyday life.
Product placement within stores often reinforces these impressions. For
example. one survey of stores surrounding California high schools found
smokeless tobacco next to candy and snacks in 42% of these establishments.
Conversely, placing tobacco products next to alcohol or out of consumer reach
behind the counter associates use with the attainment of adult status, or for
youth, with risk-taking (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Youth as Replacement Smokers
The tobacco industry must attract 2 million new smokers each year to
replace those who quit or die prematurely; most of the replacement smokers are
children or adolescents. Almost 5,000 children and teenagers need to be
addicted to nicotine every day simply to maintain the size of the smoking
population (ACSH Special Report).
Cigarette Advertising and Promotion Directed Toward Youth
Now (2020) Vaping is the big concern
While tobacco companies say they don't intend to market to young people,
numerous new empirical studies show that campaigns like RJ. Reynolds' 'Old
Joe' campaign are reaching children as young as 3 years old and that they am
affecting the behavior of children who are at an age when they are making the
decision to smoke. Since the start of the 'Old Joe' campaign, Camel's share of
the illegal children's cigarette market has increased from 0.5% to 32.8%,
representing about $476 million in annual sales (Advocacy Institute Action
Alert, December 1991).
Cigarette advertisements appear in many publications teenagers read,
particularly those featuring sports celebrities and attractive lifestyles The
prime example, TV Guide, receives more cigarette advertising revenue than any
other magazine-S36 million in 1985-and reaches almost 9 million adolescents 12
to 17 years old (ACSH Special Report).
The recommend techniques are still apparent in tobacco advertising: tobacco
use is associated with maturity, good times, good looks. popularity,
independence, affluence, adventure and risk-taking. These themes relate to
basic developmental needs of children and adolescents. In essence, they
promote tobacco use as a sign of adulthood and a short-cut to the difficult of
growing up (Children and Youth, D'Onofrio and Altman).
Health Care Costs
The health cam pays a high price for children's smoking. Each year, $9-10
billion in excess lifetime health care costs are added to the bill
became of the I million who take up smoking that year (Coalition on Smoking OR
Health).
Children's Costs
Every 9 days, children pay Federal cigarette taxes equivalent to the entire
budget for the Office on Smoking and Health ($3.5 million), the only Federal
agency devoted solely to smoking (Journal of the American Medical
Association).
The Benefits of Taxing
A significant increase on the tax on tobacco products would tobacco use,
particularly by reducing the number of children who start smoking-research
shows these teenagers are significantly more responsive to price changes than
adults. A $2 a pack increase would also raise over $20 billion dollars per
year (Coalition of Smoking OR Health).