Teenage Smoking: Huff, puff, blow friends away

Smoking was the way for teenagers to show their parents that they were too old to live by their rules anymore. Teenagers took to smoking by the dozens because it was cool, especially because their favourite Bollywood heroes smoked, both on and off-screen. These were the days when tobacco companies could advertise freely, especially in films, and not many were aware of the ill-effects of tobacco.
A lot has changed after smoking was banned in public places. The government and numerous NGOs have undertaken various campaigns to educate people — especially teenagers — about the ill effects of smoking. Has any of this done anything to change the popular notion among teenagers that it’s cool to smoke? Anul Jain, a TYBA student of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, says, “I think that these days, it is ‘cooler’ to not smoke than to smoke, because there is more awareness about the ill effects of smoking.”

Namrata Gandhi, another TYBA student endorses this view. “Teens have a false idea that they can quit whenever they want to. Also, a lot of college-going students who live in hostels tend to start smoking, mainly because there’s no family around to tell them to stop. Personally, I don’t mind being friends with people who smoke, but I can’t stand it when they smoke around me,” she says.

However, Saumya Vaishnava, a smoker herself, begs to differ. She says, “When teenagers move out of the school atmosphere into the hostile environment of college, it’s very intimidating, especially when you don’t know anyone. Smoking in a group makes it so much easier to socialise, because that is when people let their guard down.” However, soon, the teen becomes addicted, and then, “they have no option but to convince themselves it’s cool, because they themselves are doing it!” says Saumya. “Nobody wants to admit that what they’re doing is stupid, so they say it’s cool!” she adds.

Even though the opinions are divided (as always) between smokers and non-smokers, there is an agreement among teenagers about awareness of the detrimental effects of smoking.

Health Tips News: Passive smoking to Dementia

Passive smoking appears to significantly raise a person's risk of dementia and other forms of cognitive problems, British and U.S. researchers said on Friday.
Their report published in the British Medical Journal found a 44 per cent increased risk for people exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke, and is the first large-scale study to show the association between the two.
"Our results suggest that inhaling other people's smoke may damage the brain, impair cognitive functions such as memory, and make dementia more likely," David Llewellyn of Britain's University of Cambridge, who led the study, said in a statement.
Research has tied passive smoking to a range of conditions including lung cancer and heart disease. More than half of children worldwide are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes, according to the World Health Organization.
Previous studies have also identified smoking as something that increases the chances of dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment but it was not as clear whether the same held true for second-hand smoke. Llewellyn and colleagues examined saliva samples from nearly 5,000 non-smoking adults over the age of 50 using data from three separate British health surveys.
Then they tested the saliva for cotinine -- a product of nicotine found in saliva for about 25 hours after exposure to second-hand smoke - to measure exposure to cigarettes. Tests aimed at gauging brain function such as verbal memory and keeping track of time showed an association between exposure to second-hand smoke and cognitive impairment.
One possible explanation is that exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, conditions known to boost the odds of dementia and other cognitive problems, the researchers said. "Given the ongoing international policy debate on exposure to second-hand smoke, this is a topic of major public health significance," the researchers wrote.
Source: TimesofIndia news paper