Tobacco consumption habits have become one of the greatest concerns in relation to public health becoming a serious problem within society and despite the knowledge that is felt about its harmful effects.
However, today there continue to be a large number of smokers. Of this entire population, adolescents have become one of the main sources of tobacco consumption, existing according to the World Health Organization (WHO) nearly 150 million adolescent smokers
But there are various ways to prevent smoking in young people, starting with knowing the causes that lead them to develop this habit that is so harmful to health.
The reasons why the younger population is interested in smoking are diverse. Nevertheless, Knowing how to recognize them is vitally important to be able to intervene in time and prevent smoking in young people and adolescents
1. Social acceptance
Social acceptance is the main cause, and the best known, for which a teenager begins to be interested in tobacco and consequently to want to try it. Starting to smoke has become a rite of integration through which young people feel that they are part of a group.
Likewise, curiosity, the desire to experiment or the mere fact of believing that it is fashionable or that it can make them popular are also great incentives for young people to start smoking.
2. Smoking as a challenge to norms
The period of prepuberty and adolescence are characterized by a strong feeling of rebellion, provocation and a great impulse to transgress. For all these young people, smoking is one of the quickest and most effective ways to confront the rules and break the regulations imposed by their parents, society or school.
Influenced by the beliefs that exist around smoking and tobacco itself, Many of the adolescents who decide to start smoking do so with the intention of mitigating the symptoms of stress and anxiety when they face high-pressure situations such as exam times or experiencing events with a high emotional charge.
However, what they do not know is the reaction that smoking will have on their body, since they will feel relaxed for a few moments but then the feeling of stress will be greater, so they will need to smoke more and more.
4. Influence of parents
The entire volume of research carried out on tobacco consumption habits agrees that adolescents whose parents are smokers are at greater risk of becoming smokers and addicted to nicotine than the rest of young people.
Therefore, adult smokers with children must be aware of the influence that this habit has on their children, both directly through the consequences of tobacco smoke, and in the medium-long term, causing addiction in their children.
5. Media and advertising
Although it is currently prohibited to carry out any type of campaign that promotes smoking in adolescents, Scenes, whether in film, television or the written press, in which any person or character lights up a cigarette are more than common
Just as parental influence on smoking has been demonstrated, there is strong evidence that advertisements and media have the ability to increase the desire to smoke in adolescents.
6. Lack of information
Although more and more campaigns are being carried out to prevent smoking, both in adolescents and adults, The myths and false beliefs that benefit smoking still persist in the collective mind
All of these erroneous but very popular beliefs ensure that the negative consequences of tobacco are buried by the positive image that we still have of it.
Tips for preventing smoking in young people
One of the most important factors when it comes to preventing smoking is prevent adolescents from starting to smoke, thus trying to avoid the first consumption The reason is that adolescents start smoking for the above reasons without knowing the consequences of it, and not being aware of the level of addiction it can cause.
Some tips or means to prevent young people from starting to smoke are the following.
1. Provide information
As with any other type of awareness campaign, The first and possibly most important step is to provide information to young people about smoking
It is obvious that the entire population, regardless of age, is aware that smoking has a large number of negative consequences for a person’s health. However, it seems that just knowing is not enough.
Taking this into account, it is of utmost importance to facilitate and provide the younger population with the real effects and consequences of smoking, including the diseases it can cause, the effects on physical and mental deterioration, and the percentages of deaths that exist. due to causes related to smoking.
2. Psychoeducate
Another measure that needs to be adopted is to provide information on the psychological effects of cigarette smoking
Given that the harmful effects of tobacco usually appear in the medium-long term, a young person may start smoking with the hope of quitting before these effects appear. Therefore, it is essential to inform about its addictive potential, how addiction mechanisms work and the short-term consequences of starting to smoke or doing so regularly.
As mentioned above, One of the reasons why young people start smoking is through pure imitation, either through parents, a family member, or friends etc.
Unfortunately, in many cases it is not possible to lead by example, since in a large number of cases the adults around the younger person are already regular tobacco users.
In any case, it is vitally important that those people who have the responsibility of intervening or interacting with young people are able to set an example and do not smoke in front of young people.
4. Encourage reasoning
This measure consists of allowing the youngest to develop critical reasoning about tobacco allowing them, after providing them with objective information, to make their own judgments and evaluations regarding smoking.
5. Teach to say “no”
One of the most common situations that a teenager encounters is one in which a friend or acquaintance offers them a cigarette. The lack of emotional education and assertive techniques, along with the fear of being rejected, means that in most cases the adolescent ends up accepting
Therefore, providing skills that allow them to say “no” and reject tobacco use without feeling bad about it are essential to prevent young people from starting to smoke.
6. Promote physical activity
Promoting healthy lifestyles which includes that the adolescent follows healthy lifestyles and practices some type of physical exercise, is a very useful tool to prevent the arrival of tobacco consumption habits in adolescents.
A young person motivated by sport and physical health is less susceptible to engaging in practices that are harmful to their health, which also includes smoking.
