Ç o rt latti» (Obstruer
March 14, 2012
Page
Making the Next Generation Tobacco Free
Surgeon General
says more work
needs to be done
(AP) — More work needs to be
done to keep young Americans from
using tobacco, including creating
smoking bans and increasing taxes
on tobacco products, the U.S. Sur
geon General's office said in a report
released Thursday.
Almost one in five high school-
aged teens smokes, down from ear
lier decades, but the rate of decline
has slowed, the report said. It says
it's particularly important to stop
young people from using tobacco
because those who start smoking
as teenagers can increase their
chances of long-term addiction.
They also quickly can experience
reduced lung function, impaired
lung growth, early heart disease and
other health problems like asthma.
More than 80 percent of smokers
begin by age 18 and 99 percent of
adult smokers in the U.S. start by
age 26, according to the 920-page
report, which is the first comprehen
sive look at youth tobacco use from
the surgeon general's office in nearly
two decades.
"In order to end this epidemic, we
need to focus on where we can
prevent it and where we can see the
most effect, and that's with young
people," said Surgeon General
Regina Benjamin. "We want to make
our next generation tobacco-free,
and I think we can."
The report details youth tobacco
use, health impacts, and tobacco
marketing and prevention efforts.
Officials hope the information will
reinvigorate anti-tobacco efforts
and spark public activism in reduc
ing death and disease caused by
tobacco use.
The report also recommended
Regina Benjamin
Smoking among youth has declined in recent years, but more needs to be done to keep young
Americans from using tobacco, according to a new report from U.S. Surgeon General Regina
Benjamin.
anti-smoking campaigns and in
creased restrictions under the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration's
authority to regulate tobacco as
other ways to prevent adolescents
and young adults from using to
bacco products.
Benjamin did not point fingers
on why youth tobacco use contin
ues. Instead, she wants to see how
the nation as a whole can best ad
dress the issue, she said.
"I don't want to focus on blame,
I want to focus on prevention," she
said. "I want to make sure we're
doing everything that we can to
prevent kids from ever starting to
smoke or use tobacco products."
Smoking among high school stu-
dents has declined from 27.5 per
cent to 19.5 percent, or about 3 mil
lion students, but the rate of decline
has slowed in recent years. About
5.2 percent, o r600,000middle school
students also are current smokers.
According to the report, every day
in the U.S., more than 3,800 people
under the age of 18 smoke their first
cigarette and more than 1,000 of
them become daily smokers. They
replace the 1,200 people who die
each day in the U.S. from smoking.
gfe
Carol Marquez, M.D.
Radiation Oncologist
Health Screenings at Irvington
For residents living with diabe
tes, high blood pressure or a family
h isto ry o f th ese c o n d itio n s,
Irvington Covenant Church will host
free kidney health screenings on
Saturday, March 17 at 4046 N.E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from 9
a.m .to 1 p.m.
Although walk-ins are welcomed,
participants of the event, presented
by the National Kidney Founda-
tion, are encouraged to call the toll
free number to register for an ap
pointment. Anyone who plans to
complete a blood test is also en
couraged to prepare by fasting eight
hours prior to the screening for the
best results.
For more information or to sched
ule an appointment, call 888-427-
5653, extension 117 or e-m ail
Samantha.morotti@kideny.org.
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