A study of 253 teenagers found that the "risk takers" in the group were more likely to try fruit flavored cigarettes.

"Teens who gravitate toward novel experiences are especially drawn to cigarettes described as having an appealing sweet flavor," said Dr. Kenneth Manning of Colorado State University, author of the study.

Dr. Manning's research results reinforce a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban fruit-flavored cigarettes starting in September 2009.

This study appeared in the journal Tobacco Control.

Labels: cigarettes

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

If a teen's first cigarette is a relaxing experience, he or she is more likely to become addicted to smoking.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School recently completed a four-year study of 1246 sixth-graders to find out why some teenagers get addicted to cigarettes and others do not.

"It is how the brain reacts to nicotine, rather than personality traits," according to Dr. Joseph DiFranza, lead author of the study.

The study appears in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Labels: smoking, brain_chemistry, cigarettes

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A recent study at Washington University School of Medicine has found a link between teenage smoking and alcoholism. The study included three groups ranging in age from 12 to 20, and found that smokers had more than a 50 percent increased risk for alcoholism.

"Younger smokers in the 12- to 14-year-old age group were 28.4 percent more susceptible to developing an alcohol problem later, compared with 4.2 percent for nonsmokers, although both reported having one to eight drinks in the past month."

The study polled over 74,000 households with adolescents and young adults, as part of the U.S. National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.

Read more online.

Labels: smoking, addiction, cigarettes

Posted By: Lori S 0 Comments

A four-year study of 1246 middle school children found that even one cigarette a month can lead to addiction.

Dr. Joseph DiFranza of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center found that two-thirds of the children in the study who had tried cigarettes smoked at least once a month. Half of them experienced symptoms of cravings and dependence when they tried to quit.

• Dr. DiFranza said his study found that after two years, one-third of the students who had tried cigarettes had little control over their habit.
• As time went by, they were likely to smoke cigarettes more often, and became irritable and experienced difficulty concentrating when they were deprived of nicotine.
• After three years, one in four students who tried to stop smoking experienced withdrawal symptoms.

This study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.
 

Labels: tobacco use, addiction, middle_school, cigarettes

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments