Tobacco addiction in young people: the paediatrician's role

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Both first- and second-hand tobacco smoking are a major cause of morbidity in children. Smoking has both a health and an economic impact. Whilst there has been legislation in the UK that has impacted tobacco use, there remain about 88,000 children who start smoking each year in the UK. There is an increasing focus to treat tobacco addiction as a disease, and the dependency is more likely to start in the adolescent years. The paediatrician has an important role in systematically identifying smokers and offering highly cost-effective treatments to smokers in order to improve the chances of quitting and thus reduce the consequences that come along with smoking.
Source: Paediatrics and Child Health - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Occasional review Source Type: research