Tobacco and youth
- 2. Trends in Youth Smoking
- 3. Trends in Youth Smoking: Gender
- 4. Trends in Youth Smoking: Race/Ethnicity% of High school students who reported current cigarette use, YRBS
- 5. State Specific Rates of Youth SmokingSource: Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2004.
- 6. More Sobering Statistics4,000 youth under the age of 18 try smoking for the first time each day1,000 youth under the age of 18 becomes regular, daily smokers each day13.6% (2.2%) of high school males (females) use smokeless tobacco800 million packs of cigarettes are consumed by youth each year ($2.0 billion in sales revenue)
- 7. Why Do We Care about Youth and Tobacco Use?Inability to make accurate assessments of short-run benefits vs. long-term costsYouth who smoke are at greater risk of drinking and/or using illegal drugsRisk of becoming addicted quite high Maximizing life-time exposure to tobacco90% of new smokers are youthYouth who smoke are less fit and have more lung-related illnesses than their peers who do not smoke
- 8. More Smoking StatisticsIf smoking rates do not change, 6+ million children alive today will die from a smoking related illness later in their lifeTaxpayers yearly fed/state burden for smoking-related government health care spending is $630/household/yr
- 9. How do adolescents get their cigarettes?
- 10. Factors that Contribute to Youth Smoking Rates: AdvertisingTobacco companies spend 15.4 billion dollars each year on advertising in ways to try to attract adolescent smokers. Why?Promotion of brandsInitiation of new smokersTypes of advertisements, historicallyTelevision (until 1971)NewspapersMagazines (limited by tobacco settlement)Bill Boards (eliminated by tobacco settlement)TransitPoint of SaleProduct placement in moviesFree give-aways (eliminated by tobacco settlement)Sponsorship of sporting events
- 12. What are these ads communicating?SexHow to be “cool”How to be popularHow to have fun
- 13. Government Attempts to Reduce the Risk of Youth Smoking?Tobacco settlementElimination of advertising in youth magazinesSelective elimination of advertising in school library editions of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated (2005)Anti-smoking advertisements (industry ads may spark curiosity)ID verification for purchasing cigarettes (“carding”)Increasing the sales tax on tobacco productsFamily Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009
- 14. Recall, the FDA now has the authority to…Restrict tobacco advertising and promotions (esp. to children)Stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children (internet)Ban candy-flavored cigarettesRequire changes in tobacco products such as reducing the nicotine levelsProhibit health claims such as “reduced risk” productsRequire tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco productsRequire larger, more informative health warningsProhibit terms such as “light,” “mild,” or “low tar.”
- 15. Summing up…If we want to bring health care costs and improve American’s health we must tackle tobacco useFirst and foremost, its use by youthNew federal regulationsRestrict choiceHave the potential to infer considerable benefits if they translate into reduced smoking