Hey everyone:  smoking is still a big deal for teens.  Even with all the education efforts, 23% of high school students and 10% of middle schoolers are smoking.  The Mayo Clinic offers some brief but powerful insights into teen smoking, and reinforces the idea that many teen smokers continue the habit into adulthood.  In fact, 90% of adult smokers started during their teenage years. 

And here’s a surprise - the incidence rates for girls have been rising since the 70s, possibly because girls are trying to control their weight.  Want to find out whether the patches and gums are effective for teens?  Read on.  This is a wonderfully informative article for parents.

If you have a teen or middle schooler, make sure you read this article on smoking, and follow the issue carefully with your children.  These stats are pretty scary considering all the information available on the dangers and addictive nature of smoking.  It is amazing to think that 23% of high schoolers smoke, and many of them will continue into adulthood.  The Mayo Clinic suggests that one of the best things we can do as parents is keep our household smoke-free, since kids tend to model their parents’ behavior.  Also, don’t rely too much on those patches and gum products for your teen.  They may do more harm than good since teens tend to misuse them. 

Kudos to the Mayo Clinic for sharing this article.  It is just the right length for a parent’s short attention span, and it offers terrific information.