Teenagers are more likely to start smoking during the summer vacation, with having friends who are smokers being the biggest influence on them taking up smoking, followed by having a parent who smokes, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said in a warning to protect children’s health.
Citing a 2021 government study, the agency said 7.2 percent of senior-high school students, including those enrolled in vocational schools, smoke cigarettes, adding that the risks of adolescent tobacco use increase with age.
According to the study, junior-high school and senior-high school students from families with one or more parents who smoke are 5.5 times and 2.8 times more likely to smoke respectively than those from families without smokers, it said.
Warning: Smoking can damage your health Photo courtesy of Freepik
The research showed junior-high school students and senior-high school students with smoker friends are 20.9 times and 12.5 times more likely to smoke respectively than those without.
The study additionally revealed that 3.9 percent of junior-high school students and 8.8 percent of senior-high school students used e-cigarettes last year, up from 4.4 percent and 11.7 percent the previous year, the agency said.
More than half of adolescents had their first experience with tobacco use out of curiosity, including 54.5 percent of junior-high school students and 50.2 percent of senior-high school students, it said.
The most often reported reason for smoking is to relieve stress, the agency said.
People who started smoking as teenagers are about 20 percent more likely to develop a chronic pulmonary condition later in life and smoking is an increasingly costly habit, it said, adding that a pack a day amounts to NT$45,000 per year.
Young people wishing to quit smoking should apply for tobacco-use cessation services offered by 2,700 clinics and hospitals in partnership with the HPA around the nation, the agency said.
Parents should take extra care during the summer vacation to prevent their children from picking up smoking, HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said.
Picnics, trips and sports are some activities families can engage in to steer adolescents away from tobacco use, he said, adding that positive reinforcement works better than punishment in disciplining children.
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