The Effects of Smoking
Although the negative effects of smoking are well documented, many people are not aware of them. Your teen may think that the health-related consequences of smoking aren’t so bad, or that they will only see the effects after many years of tobacco use. Be sure to let them know that even the short-term effects can be serious and that it’s not worth risking the long-term effects just to relieve stress or fit in.
Read about more about talking with your child about the health consequences of smoking.
Short-Term Effects
- Increased susceptibility to respiratory illness 1
- Shortness of breath 2
- Impaired lung growth and function
- Bad breath
- Foul-smelling clothes
Long-Term Effects
- Lung, mouth, throat, kidney, and stomach cancers
- Coronary heart disease 3
- Emphysema and other chronic diseases 1
- Significantly reduced lifespan 4
Even though it may seem obvious to adults that the risks of smoking outweigh the benefits, teens don’t always see it that way. Remind your teen of the effects, both short- and long-term, that smoking and tobacco use can have, even if you think he or she should already know.
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General (Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004).
2. Ali H. Mokdad, James S. Marks, Donna F. Stroup, and Julie L. Gerberding, “Actual Causes of Death in the United States,” JAMA 291 (2004): 1238-44.
3. American Lung Association, Smoking 101 Fact Sheet (2008), http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.39853/k.5D05/Smoking_101_Fact_….
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Economic Costs—United States, 1995-1999,” MMWR 51, no. 14 (2002): 300-3.
