Each day in the United Stated about 1,500 girls being smoking. Nearly all first use of tobacco occurs before high school graduation.

Since 1991, cigarette smoking by adolescents has risen annually. The 1995 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimates that 20 percent of youths aged 12-17 (4.5 million adolescents) were current smokers in 1995. In 1994, the rate was 18.9 percent.

Approximately 1 of 5 teenage girls now smoke.

When most girls begin smoking, they are usually caught up in the moment, in the immediate experience of what appears to be a "cool," "adult," or even "glamorous" behavior. They are naive

Gender Differences In The Effects Of Tobacco Use

Health-Damaging Behaviors. Tobacco is associated with a range of health-damaging behaviors, including an increased risk of being involved in fights, engaging in high-risk sexual behavior, and using alcohol and other drugs.

Women appear to be more susceptible to the addictive properties of nicotine and have a slower metabolic clearance of nicotine from their bodies than do men.

Coronary Artery Disease Smokers have early development of coronary artery disease and abnormal lipid levels, possible precursors of heart disease.

Tobacco use by adolescent women is a public problem of enormous magnitude that exacts a tremendous cost on the health of our Nation's youth today and tomorrow. The DHHS has made the prevention and control of tobacco use by adolescents a top priority and is developing effective strategies working with professional, academic, and community groups. The U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health is committed to working together between Federal Government and private sector groups to increase public awareness and health professional attention to this critical public health problem.

Mental Health Effects. Many adolescent smokers report mental health effects, such as nervousness and depression, and tend to engage in more high-risk behaviors than adolescents who do not smoke.

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