Smoking still seen as cool by teenagers, poll finds

Jacksonville - There are many teenagers that are still smoking because they say it is ‘cool’ even though they know it is very unhealthy for them. In a recent poll, it was found that those teens between the ages 16 and 18 who now buy their own cigarettes started smoking between 12 and 13 years old. With the health risks of smoking today, the decision a teenage makes of not starting to smoking could be one of the most important decisions they make regarding their health.

Many reasons why teenagers tried their first cigarette was because of peer pressure, curiosity and just wanting to be ‘cool. The change from elementary to secondary school can be very stressing and challenging for many kids. Many say that smoking is a stress reducer that helps them manage every day. With smoking, kids are just trying to be accepted by their peers and believe acceptance is much more important than their health.

Listed are some other factors that lead many teenagers to smoking:
1. Socioeconomic status
2. Siblings/ peers
3. Price and availability
4. Lack of parent involvement
5. Self-esteem issues

A small percentage of between 20 and 30% tried to quit smoking but were unsuccessful, but believed that they will eventually stop. Teenagers do know that a healthy diet and exercise is important in a healthy lifestyle but do not see that not smoking is key to staying healthy too. It has also been found that those teenager smoking lead very unhealthy lifestyles altogether. They are smoking, drinking and eating a lot of unhealthy foods. Many teenage smokers already experience negative symptoms from their smoking. Some include feeling less fit, lack of energy for sport and sometimes feeling out of breath. More serious symptoms include coughing, throat infections and chest infections. All of these health risks are noticed but are just accepted as part of the side effects of smoking.

Smoking causes short-term health issues in the smoking of teenagers. Some issues include effects both respiratory and non-respiratory, nicotine addiction and other possible drug use risks. Some long term health concerns are cancer and heart disease. Smoking as a teenager has many long-term consequences, including diseases related to smoking and even the risk of premature death. Health care costs will increase when treating any illnesses related to smoking.

Teenagers will say that nicotine makes them feel good and help them better cope with life. But feeling good is not worth all the bad consequences from it, from coughing to lung cancer. The longer one smokes, the more damage it is doing to the body. Most adults who started smoking as a teenager wish that they had never started in the first place.