According to the latest report from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, adult smoking rates have plateaued in recent years, but high school smoking figures are rising.
A 4% drop in the smoking rate was observed from 2003 to 2004, and a plateau was seen from 2005 to 2009. There was only a minimal 2% increase by 2008 and 2009. Smoking rates in terms of age groups peak between the 18 to 24 year old brackets at 28.7%.
This is quite alarming since smoking has been linked to at least 30% of total cancer deaths. If a smoker quits, he could possibly save himself from the 9 out of 10 patients who die due to lung cancer as well as avoid a lot of illnesses and complications related to the smoking habit. The economy will likewise be improved if more smokers quit, since the thousands of dollars spent on treatments for illnesses related to their nicotine addiction can be significantly minimized.
This is why the Healthy People initiative sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched their project which aims to cut down adult smoking by 12% in the year 2020. It may be a hard battle for the advocates but they are ready to work hard for their goal. Younger people are the focus of the project. Most tobacco experimentations happen in high school and if they aren’t persuaded to stop, they could become heavy smokers as adults.
While the CDC recommends full funding for tobacco control programs, the state is implementing budget cuts that could be another problem for the organization. The FDA though has taken steps without the need for additional budget by requiring tobacco manufacturers to print graphic and highly visible effects of smoking on packages of cigarettes.
Tags: camous smoking school smokine, teen smoking, underage smoking
