The National Center for Health Statistics states that 24.8 million men and 21.1 million women in the United States were cigarette smokers as of 2008. Those numbers cover adult smokers, but most people start their tobacco use as teenagers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Youthful tobacco use has a strong influence on whether you will become a smoker permanently or manage to avoid the addiction.
Time Frame
The CDC explains that if you start smoking during adolescence, you are likely to continue into your adult years. Young people who use smokeless tobacco are also more likely to start smoking cigarettes as they age. About 3,900 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 try their first cigarette every day, the CDC reports, and 1,000 go on to become daily smokers.
Considerations
People of different races and ethnic backgrounds tend to start smoking at different ages. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) explains that white and Hispanic youngsters usually start smoking during adolescence, while African Americans start after age 18. People of Asian and Pacific Islander descent also begin using cigarettes later than white or Hispanic smokers.
Effects
Health effects are worse for people who start smoking at an early age, according to the NCI, because the risk of developing cancer grows in direct proportion to the number of years you smoke. Young people are more likely to get addicted and use cigarettes for the long term. Early smoking may increase the chance of developing other health problems like multiple sclerosis, or MS. A 2009 study led by Dr. Joseph Finkelstein of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland showed that people who were smokers by age 17 were 2.7 times more likely to develop MS than non-smokers, while people whose cigarette use started later had no increased risk.
Potential
The potential risk period for becoming a regular smoker extends from the adolescent years throughout young adulthood. Twenty-five percent of high school graduates who never smoke during their senior year become smokers after graduation, according to the NCI study. Those who smoke during their later school years increase cigarette consumption by 39 percent once they graduate. Young adults who do not go on to college have higher smoking rates than their counterparts who seek higher education.
Prevention
Some of the health risks of smoking can be reduced by quitting at any age, according to the National Institute on Aging. People who use cigarettes for a lifetime have a one in two chance of dying from a health-related problem. The chance of developing a circulatory disease or having a heart attack or stroke drops within the first year of smoking cessation, as does cancer risk. Smokers who quit early enough to live at least 10 to 15 additional years have cancer rates equivalent to lifelong non-smokers.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Youth and Tobacco Use
- National Cancer Institute: Age at Smoking Initiation
- Science Daily: Young Smokers Increase Risk for Multiple Sclerosis
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking Statistics
- National Institute on Aging: Smoking, It's Never Too Late to Stop
