Attentive: many young people smoke to lose weight
The tobacco It is becoming a means that more and more adolescents use to control the fat in their body. This is indicated by a study of Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York that warns of the dangerous increase in the number of young people who increasingly turn to tobacco to control your weight. A reason that is causing adolescents to start consuming this substance so harmful to the human body, especially at an age where it is not yet developed.
An excuse to start
This study investigated 10,500 young smokers among 11 and 15 years to try to find out what had led them to start using this product and what motivated them to continue with tobacco. Around 46% of participating girls said that their onset had been related to the search for a method to control their weight, 30% of men answered equally.
An excuse that supposes the initiation in the tobacco and that becomes dangerous as the teenager sees how he does not lose weight, so he understands that he should consume a greater amount. This causes irremediably at very young ages there are already addicts.
Greater weight, more probability
The probability of finding a teenager addicted to tobacco was higher in the cases of people who were more overweight. As the researchers indicated, they are the people who feel the need to lose kilos the first ones that resort to methods like these, when not finding the desired result appears in them an anxiety that calms down when they smoke, thus initiating a circle that ends with the youth's dependence on this product.
The researchers said that in the case of overweight girls there was a 225% more possibilities of becoming tobacco users and later addicted to this product. In the case of the boys who see themselves with extra kilos, this probability increased until a 125%.
Better understanding
The authors of this study affirmed that thanks to these investigations, it is possible to better understand the risk behaviors in the youngest. "It's not always about the search for pleasure or fun, sometimes smoking is a means to conquer an end, "said Dr. John Cawley responsible for this work.
Cawley also said that thanks to studies like his, anti-smoking policies will also improve since fighting against root the problem, overweight in young people, it will prevent them from feeling bad with their body and therefore they will not start smoking. Another of the measures that this researcher suggests to prevent the youngest from initiating this consumption is to harden the regulations.
According to Cawley, if the establishments comply with the law against the sale of tobacco to minors and the smoking parents make sure they have securely their cigarettes, young people would have impossible to access this product. Of this same researcher bets because from home is promulgated by example and create a smoke-free environment to lead by example.
Talk with the children
Another of the tools that work best to prevent tobacco use among the youngest is a pedagogical talk. Many parents elude treat this issue because they trust that their children will not try a cigarette, however it is always good to tackle the problem before it appears. Sit down to talk to him and talk about the dangers that smoking entails for the body.
It is also convenient to lead by example. If either parent is a smoker, it is recommended that you try to leave it or reduce consumption so that the young person does not relate the cigarette with something habitual and necessary in the day to day. It is also recommended to teach anti-stress techniques so that young people do not resort to smoking to relieve their tension. In the same way we must attend to other possible that lead to this addiction as overweight or a problem of self-esteem.
Damián Montero
