Protecting Your Children From Tobacco Use

Helping Your Kids Stay Tobacco-Free

As the new school year approaches, parents and caregivers start thinking about preparing their children for the upcoming year. For parents of middle schoolers and teens, how to keep kids from using tobacco products might not seem as serious as other issues. In fact, some parents may feel that smoking is a "rite of passage" and that kids who start will outgrow the behavior as they get older. However, once teens start using tobacco, they can quickly become addicted, and that addiction can lead to a lifetime of serious health problems. The best way for parents to protect their children from tobacco-related health problems (including asthma, heart disease, cancer, and lung damage) is to prevent tobacco use altogether.

How You Can Help Your Children Stay Tobacco-Free

Despite decades of health warnings, 46 million Americans still smoke cigarettes today. More than 70% of them want to quit, but nicotine addiction is so powerful, quitting is very difficult and many smokers just give up trying. More than 3.6 million middle school and high school students smoke cigarettes; one out of three teen smokers will ultimately die from a tobacco-related disease. That is not a future parents want for their children. The key is prevention, because nearly 90% of smokers start smoking before they're 18 and almost no one starts after age 25. To help keep your children from starting to use tobacco, take these important steps:

• Tell your children emphatically and often how dangerous smoking is-and how addictive all tobacco products are.
• Make your home and your car tobacco-free for everyone-friends and guests as well as family members.
• Tell your children you expect them to be tobacco-free.
• Ask your child's doctor to discuss health issues caused by tobacco use-including nicotine addiction.
• Encourage your children to be involved in activities at school, church, or in the community.
• Don't let your children see movies, TV programming, or video games that show tobacco use.
• Find out where your community stands on policies known to reduce tobacco use by youth, such as school-based tobacco bans, smoke-free policies, and higher prices on tobacco products.
• Set a good example by not using tobacco yourself.

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