Students Trying Smoking In Record Numbers
Of Middle Schoolers Surveyed, Nearly 33 Percent Have Tried Smoking
Children have been taught for years that smoking is bad for their health and that it can be addictive, but apparently that's not stopping them from trying it, according to a public health survey released Monday.
Nearly one in three middle school students and two out of three high school students have tried cigarettes, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The report, which officials touted as the first comprehensive survey of Colorado's youth on smoking and tobacco-related issues, showed that more than 8.8 percent of middle-schoolers and 25.3 percent of high school students currently smoke.
Colorado teens are trying smoking at a higher rate than their national counterparts, officials said.
To combat the increasing numbers, schools are using former student smokers to get the message out.
"We are hoping to do something to keep them from making the choices some of us made," Cripple Creek High School student Vickie Conley said.
Children are learning just how hard it is to quit. Forty-three percent of the students reported trying to quit two or more times -- leading nearly one-third of them to be unsuccessful.
More Resources:
Previous Stories:
Nearly one in three middle school students and two out of three high school students have tried cigarettes, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The report, which officials touted as the first comprehensive survey of Colorado's youth on smoking and tobacco-related issues, showed that more than 8.8 percent of middle-schoolers and 25.3 percent of high school students currently smoke.
Colorado teens are trying smoking at a higher rate than their national counterparts, officials said.
To combat the increasing numbers, schools are using former student smokers to get the message out.
"We are hoping to do something to keep them from making the choices some of us made," Cripple Creek High School student Vickie Conley said.
Children are learning just how hard it is to quit. Forty-three percent of the students reported trying to quit two or more times -- leading nearly one-third of them to be unsuccessful.
- State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership
- Read more of the smoking report: Youth Tobacco Use in Colorado
- Cancer Center
- Conditions A-Z
- March 27, 2001: Women's Smoking Deaths Double Since 1965
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
