Tobacco Use
According to the 2006 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the
number of American adolescents who have used a tobacco product in
the past month is about 4 million. Almost 90 percent of smokers
start smoking by age 18 and more than 6 million people who started
smoking before the age of 18 will die prematurely from a
smoking-related disease. A teen’s decision to smoke has been found
to be influenced by psychological factors, such as peer pressure, as
well as biological factors. There is recent evidence from studies in
animals that the interaction between nicotine and other chemicals
found in cigarettes may increase an adolescent’s susceptibility to
the addictive properties of nicotine.
Recent Use by Pinellas County Students
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The decreasing trend in smoking observed by NIDA is also reflected
in recent tobacco product use trends among Pinellas County youth.
With the exception of 5th-grade students (who have a very low
prevalence of recent tobacco product use), students in all grades
show significantly lower prevalence of recent tobacco product use
in 2006 compared to 2004. The decrease of over 6 percent in recent
tobacco product use among 8th-grade students is particularly
encouraging.
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Significant decreases in recent tobacco use are also observed
among male students in grades 6, 8, and 10 and among female
students in grades 6 and 8.
Lifetime Use by Pinellas County Students
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The prevalence of lifetime tobacco product use decreased between
2004 and 2006 among students in grades 6, 8, and 10.
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As with recent tobacco product use, the 9.2 percent decrease in
lifetime tobacco product use among 8th-grade students is
noteworthy.
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Lifetime tobacco-product-use rates among male students in grades
5, 6, 8, and 10 exhibit significant declines in 2006, compared
with prevalence levels in 2004. Only female students in the 8th
grade showed significant declines in the prevalence of tobacco
product use between 2004 and 2006.
Funded Agencies:
Operation PAR – Adolescent
Residential Center
R’Club - HIP
Operation PAR – Alpha
Operation PAR – Chemical Abuse Prevention
Operation PAR – COSA
Operation PAR – LiveFree!
City of St. Petersburg – TASCO Center Based Programs
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