It has been known that cigarette smoking may bring significant health risks, but when a person starts to engage in this, the possibility of having health problems is higher. A new study suggests that flavored tobacco products may be the main reason why young people start smoking early.
The study is led by Bridget K. Ambrose, of the Center for Tobacco Products which is part of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She and her colleagues noticed that most tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), restricting tobacco use among young people is critical for stopping the "tobacco epidemic" in the US. In fact, according to statistics, nearly 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers in the US first tried smoking by the age of 18.
Some reassuring statistics however reveal that in 2013, the rate of cigarette smoking among high school students dramatically dropped to its lowest since 1991 at 15.7%. Although the figure stated that the US has met its national Healthy People 2020 objective by reducing teen smoking to 16% or less, the CDC still believes that if youth smoking won't be stopped at the current rate, millions of people under-18s will die from a smoking related sickness.
Although youth related cigarette smoking has dropped, increased use of e-cigarettes and hookahs have simultaneously occurred. To investigate further on how young people begin smoking, the researchers used data from a past study which is household-based, nationally representative study of 45,971 adults and youths (aged 12-17 years) in the US.
During the survey, young people answered questions about tobacco products used for the past 30-day, as well as any history of use. Tobacco products included cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs, cigars, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, dissolvable tobacco, small hand-rolled cigarettes and cigarettes made with a blend of tobacco, cloves and other flavors.
Results show that most young people used flavored products when they tried for the first time: 89% of hookah users, 81% of e-cigarette users, 65% of cigar users and 50% of cigarette smokers. Among the subjects who used tobacco within the past 30 days, flavored product use was 80% of any products that were used.
