BY HANNAH BRODINE, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD--The desire in adulthood tobacco smoking seems to have decreased in the recent past few years, thanks to the help of anti-smoking advertisements, more involvement in public schools encouraging children not to smoke, and more widespread education availability on the dangers smoking poses.
Melissa Watts, a interventionist teacher at Sandlapper Elementary School, interacts with young children every day and has worked at the school for seven years.
“A push factor that I see that helps children and teenagers not want to smoke is that they might see their parents or other family members become sick from smoking, such as getting cancer or depending on an oxygen tank,” she said.
The tobacco smoking rate for youth in America is at the lowest point that it has been at in 22 years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The current rate for teenagers smoking is 15.7 percent, a record low.
“I think due to more involvement in schools, such as when guidance counselors or other leading figures come in and give presentations to a group of kids, and less advertisements promoting smoking is definitely helping young people see that smoking isn’t healthy for them,” Watts said.
Tobacco Free Kids, an organization that devotes itself to preventing smoking or tobacco use of any sort in children, says that schools are in a prime position to advocate for anti-smoking behaviour. Children spend almost a third of their waking hours at school, and if attention to not smoking or the dangers of smoking is not given at home, school may be the only place children learn of the dangers and true nature of smoking tobacco on their health.
“Involvement in the schools is much better than it was when I was in school, when there wasn’t really any push to not smoke,” Watts said.
“There’s more focus on smoking prevention and ridding children’s literature and entertainment of tobacco and cigarette ads,” Watts said. “I think the more attention the better, we’ve seen the positive impacts more attention to the issue has created so far.”
