Smoking during childhood and adolescence causes significant health issues in teenagers. These include increased number and severity of respiratory illnesses, decreased physical activity, and potential lung development and function effects.
Did you know that over 3,200 people under 18 smoke their first cigarette every day? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2012, 7% of middle school students and 23% of high school students reported using tobacco products. Also, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 2,100 youth and young adults who are occasional smokers become daily smokers every day. According to preliminary estimates, this youth smoking spike would cost the United States at least 1.6 million years of life in the long term.
The majority of adult smokers today claim they began smoking when they were 18 years old. In 2010, almost 70% of adult smokers said they wanted to quit smoking. According to research, people who begin smoking during adolescence may have the most difficulty quitting. It’s not surprising that many people try to stop smoking many times before succeeding. It is important to remember that nicotine addiction is a chronic, relapsing medical disorder that must be treated as such.
Why Do Some Adolescents Smoke?
To look cool, act older, lose weight, appear tough, or feel independent, teenagers may be attracted to smoking, vaping, and chewing tobacco.
On the other hand, parents should fight those draws to prevent their adolescents from trying — and becoming addicted to — these things. To make it easier to work through these difficult problems, talk openly about tobacco use and vaping with your adolescents as early as possible.
Negative Impact of Smoking Teenagers
Tobacco use in adolescents and young adults can be dangerous in both the short and long term. Some parents should stress the long-term effects of smoking on their teen’s health. But, adolescents and young adults may be more persuaded by the immediate and early negative effects. There are some examples:
1. Smoking can damages teenagers lungs
Smoking harms the lungs’ airways and small air sacs. This damage begins soon after a teenager begins smoking. This worsens as long as the person smokes. Even, it can take years for the problem to become visible enough to be diagnosed as lung disease.
Smoke damage to the lungs can result in long-term lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking teenagers can also raise the risk of lung infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis. This can also worsen certain pre-existing lung diseases like asthma.
2. Smoking teenagers raise cancer risk
In the US, smoking is responsible for about 20% of all cancers and 30% of all cancer deaths.
Smoking use is responsible for about 80% of lung cancers and 80% of lung cancer deaths. In both men and women, lung cancer is the common cause of cancer death.
Smoking teenagers also raises the risk of developing cancers of the:
- Mouth
- Larynx (voice box)
- Pharynx (throat)
- Esophagus
- Kidney
- Cervix
- Liver
- Bladder
- Pancreas
- Stomach
- Colon/rectum
It also raises the likelihood of developing acute myeloid leukemia.
Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes all cause cancer. There is no such form of tobacco smoke.
3. Reduced physical fitness
Smoking affects lung function and development. Also, it causes shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and increased phlegm.
4. Emphysema
The walls between the tiny air sacs in the lungs break down in emphysema, resulting in larger but fewer sacs. The amount of oxygen in the blood is reduced as a result. These sacs may worsen over time to the point that teenagers with emphysema can fail to get enough oxygen, even when at rest.
Teenagers who have emphysema are at risk for a number of other problems associated with poor lung function, including pneumonia. Patients in the later stages of the disease often need an oxygen mask or tube to help them breathe.
Emphysema cannot be cured. But it can be treated and slowed if the smoker quits smoking.
5. Smoking teenagers affect their heart and blood vessels
Smoking harms the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular system). This raises the chances of developing heart disease and stroke.
Smoking is a significant cause of coronary heart disease (CHD). It is a condition in which the heart’s arteries are unable to deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. CHD is the leading cause of death in the US and the leading cause of heart attacks.
Smoking raises your blood pressure, reduces your ability to exercise. Also, it increases the likelihood of your blood clotting. It also reduces the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood. All of these factors increase your chances of having a heart attack or having a stroke.
6. Smoking teenagers cause peripheral arterial disease
Tobacco use is a significant risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Plaque accumulates in the arteries that carry blood to the brain, lungs, and limbs in PAD. This raises the risk for heart disease, having a heart attack, or having a stroke.
Smoking raises the probability of having an aortic aneurysm. This is a balloon-like enlargement of the aorta, the main artery that transfers blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A weakening of the aortic wall causes Aortic aneurysms to increase in size over time and can be dangerous if they rupture (break open).
Smoking can lead to or intensify impaired blood flow in the arms and legs. This a condition known as a peripheral vascular disease (PVD). This can cause pain in the legs while walking and open sores that do not heal.
Because smoking reduces blood flow, it reduces the body’s ability to heal wounds. This is why many doctors refuse to enforce such operations on patients unless they quit smoking.
7. Smoking may affect a teen’s sexual life and reproductive system
Females
Smoking may harm a woman’s reproductive health. Women who smoke, for example, are more likely to have difficulty getting pregnant.
Smoking while pregnant can also cause health issues for both the mother and the baby. Those women who smoke while their pregnancy may have:
- An ectopic pregnancy (where the embryo implants outside the uterus) may endanger the mother’s life
- Premature births and low birth weight infants
- Stillbirths and miscarriages
- Having a child with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or other birth defects
Babies born to mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy are also at a high risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Men
Smoking can damage blood vessels in the body. Male erections depend heavily on blood flow in the penis. Men who smoke are more likely to have erectile dysfunction. This risk increases as they smoke more and over a longer period.
Smoking may also affect sperm, reducing fertility and increasing the risk of miscarriage and congenital disabilities.
8. Smoking is linked to other harmful behaviors in teenagers
According to research, teen tobacco consumers are more likely than non-users to use alcohol and illegal drugs. Smoking teens are more likely to attempt suicide, get into conflicts, and bear weapons. Also, they may suffer from mental health issues, including depression, and engage in risky sexual behaviors. This does not necessarily suggest that tobacco use induced these habits. But they are more common in smoking teenagers.
Also, using e-cigarettes (also known as vaping) can influence a child or adolescent’s desire to experiment with other tobacco products.
The Bottom Line
Remember that quitting smoking is much more difficult than starting. Allow your teen to talk with an adult who smokes to understand better how difficult it is to quit smoking. Parents must play an active role in preventing teenage smoking.
