Youth Tobacco Use: A Global Perspective for Child Health Care Clinicians

Abstract

Tobacco dependence, responsible for approximately 4 million annual deaths worldwide, is considered to be a "pediatric disease." The smoking epidemic is spreading rapidly in developing countries. Factors contributing to youth smoking in developing countries include cultural traditions, tobacco's easy accessibility and moderate pricing, peer and family influences, and tobacco companies' advertisements and promotional activities. Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is a substantial problem that causes increased rates of pneumonia, otitis media, asthma, and other short- and long-term pediatric conditions. Parental tobacco use results in children's deprivation of essential needs such as nutrition and education. In this article we review contemporary evidence with respect to the etiology of nicotine dependence among youth, the forms of youth tobacco products worldwide, global youth tobacco-control efforts to date, medical education efforts, and child health care clinicians' special role in youth tobacco-control strategies. In addition, we provide a review of currently available funding opportunities for development and implementation of youth tobacco-control programs.

Correlates of Chilean Adolescents' Negative Attitudes Toward Cigarettes: The Role of Gender, Peer, Parental, and Environmental Factors

“…About 250 million children and adolescents alive today will die from tobacco use (Navarro, 2001), and 70% of these children live in developing countries (Prokhorov et al, 2006). According to global tobacco use estimates, the Region of the Americas (which included Latin America) has one of the highest rates of past-month adolescent smoking (17.5%; Warren, Jones, Eriksen, Asma, & Global Tobacco Surveillance System Colloborative Group, 2006), and in Latin America, Chilean youth have the highest smoking prevalence (CICAD, 2009(CICAD, /2010.…”

Influence of Tobacco Use in Dental Caries Development

“…Tobacco smoking usually is used in the form of cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco (3). Cigarettes form the core of mass production of tobacco product that is smoked globally (4). Over 1.1 billion adults (29% of the adult population) are current smokers of cigarettes worldwide (5).…”

Tobacco is a global paediatric concern

“…Child health-care delivery organizations have new opportunities for improving tobacco control interventions. 12 In March 2009, at the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held in Mumbai, India, the American Academy of Paediatrics and the International Paediatric Association launched an international initiative to promote involvement of child health clinicians worldwide as actors and opinion leaders in tobacco control. It aims to call attention to the harm that tobacco causes to children, disseminate best practices to reduce exposure of children to tobacco and second-hand smoke, and train clinicians in advocacy for policy change and effective methods of counselling parents regarding these issues.…”