Can you name the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States?

The answer is smoking. 

Tennessee is ranked third highest in the United States in youth smoking.  There are 8,100 new youth smokers in Tennessee every year. 

Why are teens lighting up?  They say it’s cool, people they admire smoke, peer pressure, they don’t think they will get hooked, to lose weight or reduce stress and because adults do it.

Would you knowingly allow your child to take in formaldehyde, acetone, tar, rat poison, or carbon monoxide?  Any parent who cares about his/her child would do everything in their power to make sure their children didn’t put any of those chemicals into their bodies.  However, if your child is smoking, those are just a few of the 4,000 ingredients they are inhaling with every puff.  You might be shocked to learn that a pack a day smoker could not pass the auto emissions test with their own breath because the level of carbon monoxide in their system is too high.

According to the CDC, nearly all first time smoking happens before high school graduation.  The good news is, if your teen hasn’t started smoking before he/she graduates from high school, chances are he/she never will.

Before you put the paper down and think this doesn’t apply to your family, don’t be too sure.  Many a parent has been shocked to find out their child has been smoking and hiding it from them.

A great deal of evidence shows that we are hard-wired for close attachments to other people, beginning with our mothers, fathers, and extended family, and then moving out to the broader community.  Meeting these basic needs for connection is essential to health and to human flourishing.

Research indicates that we as a society have not been doing a good job of meeting these essential needs, and therefore, large and growing numbers of our children are failing to flourish.  Scholars at the National Research Council in 2002 estimated that at least one of every four adolescents in the U.S. is currently at risk of not achieving productive adulthood.  There are 132,000 Tennessee youth alive now that will die prematurely from smoking related illnesses. 

So what can parents do to help?

• Talk to your teen about the dangers of smoking and about life as an addict.  Nicotine is just as addictive as heroin, cocaine or alcohol.  Show them what happens to your body when you smoke. 
• Tell them what goes into making cigarettes. 
• Teach them how to make good choices – instead of always making choices for them. 
• Have ongoing discussions with your children about smoking and other harmful activities.
•   If you are a smoker, quit!  Second-hand smoke kills 3,000 non-smokers a year and causes 30 times as many lung cancer deaths as all regulated pollutants combined. 
• Know your teen’s friends. 
• Encourage him/her to participate in activities they enjoy. 
• Don’t assume that if your child is involved in sports that he/she won’t smoke. 
• If your teen has already started smoking, recognize they will probably need professional help to quit. 

Supportive and engaged parents are critical to a healthy and productive life for your son or daughter.  Isn’t that a gift every parent wants for their child?