Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Healthcare professionals can help reduce tobacco's appeal
By Staff Writer
In 2008, nearly 71 million Americans age 12 and older had used a tobacco product at least once in the month prior to participating in a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
An individual's teenage years are considered to be a critical time when an addiction to nicotine can form. A strategy known as denormalization may be an effective way of curbing this trend, according to an article set to be published in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology & Pulmonology.
Denormalization is a process of changing social norms and reinforcing a public perception that tobacco use is a health-compromising and socially unacceptable behavior. The tobacco industry has marketed its products as essential parts of a glamorous lifestyle, according to the authors of the article. They stress, however, that a product that causes harm should not be the subject of glamorization.
To counteract the tobacco industry's agenda, the authors recommend healthcare professionals play a more prominent role in promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle among children and adolescents. This can be achieved through direct communication between physicians and their patients. In addition, medical professionals can provide information and referrals for tobacco prevention and cessation programs that can provide substance abuse help.
