Introduction
It is realized that in the United States that smoking, drinking and use of drugs all increased substantially with age. In addition girls were more likely than boys to smoke, whereas boys were more likely than girls to smoke and drink at an earlier age. Smoking and drinking were highly interrelated among population below the age of 18 years in the U.S. this group of people who drank were more likely to be regular smokers, for instance research found out that 33%of the pupils who usually drank every week were regular smokers, whereas only 1% of the pupils who had never had a drink were regular smokers. (Goddard and Higgins, 2000)
As smoking and drinking behavior were both strongly related to age, it could be the case that the observed relationship is due to the fact that older pupils were more likely to smoke and drink than younger pupils in the U.S. However, among 15 year olds, those who smoked were more likely than non-smokers to drink at least once a week (67% and 20% respectively).
At age 11, 69% of the pupils in the U.S neither drank nor had ever smoked but by age 15 the equivalent percentage was 11%. Less than 1% of 11 year olds smoked regularly and drank at least weekly; whereas 16% of pupils aged 15 did (Patton and Hibbert, 2000).
Smoking and drinking among 15 year old population in the U.S
Defining drinkers as being those who usually drink at least once a week results in more pupils being defined as drinkers than are defined as regular smokers. Six percent of 15 year old boys and 7% of 15 year old girls were regular smokers, drank at least twice a week and had taken drugs in the last month. I contrast, 59% of 15 year old boys and 63% of 15 year old girls did not fall into any of these groups. (Patton and Hibbert, 2000)
Age Factor and Drinking
The United States is a nation of binge drinkers, with hazardous drinking particularly common in young adults. Researchers found that more than two-thirds (67%) of alcohol consumed is drunk in a way that is dangerous to health – by the population of the young adults drinking more than 5 days a week. This hazardous drinking was particularly common in the 18-24 years age group. Drinking that would cause acute or chronic health problems accounted for 93% of all alcohol drunk by men in that age group, and for 82% of young women. By comparison, 41% of alcohol consumed by those aged 65 or over would cause acute or chronic health problems. (Grant and Stinson, 2001)
Alcohol Consumption among Women of Child Bearing Age
Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome and other congenital anomalies. Substantial prenatal alcohol use can occur before a woman knows she is pregnant, and teratogenic risk increases if she continues to drink during pregnancy. Characterization of alcohol consumption patterns among women of childbearing age (i.e., age 18-44 years) can help identify the magnitude of this problem. (Little and Graham, 1982).
Drinking age
Research has realized that there is way too much underage drinking by young adults in America. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1986 forces states to enforce the legal age of 21 years old or lose matching highway funds. Alcohol has been around since the beginning of time and it is not going to disappear. Today, most young adults start drinking early in their high school years at social gatherings. During those years, they endure many changes in their lives. They think that if they do not drink like their fellow peers, they will not fit in. what they do not know is that their body is still growing and alcohol can lead to many complication early in life.
In many cultures drinking as a young adult is not frowned upon, one is encouraged to have alcohol in moderation. If drinking alcohol were looked at as being a social act and not as something to do every weekend when one was bored then there would be fewer problems with underage drinking. (Grant and Stinson, 2001)
It is realized that alcohol drinking could have very bad effects on the young adults of America. There could be many people who would abuse a situation where in most household, parents do not approve of drinking among their children. Rather, they approve of these children to drink responsibly if they are going to drink. Enforcing the legal age of drinking to be 18 years old would lead to the maturity factor and being responsible. The contradicting fact is that alcoholism is a disease. Some people might assume that there would be more alcoholics if this situation of drinking responsibly in many household takes effect. (Goddard and Higgins, 2000)
Smoking Among Women of Child Bearing Age
There are many effects that cigarette smoking by pregnant women has on their fetuses. The relationship between maternal smoking and fetal development shows that smoking can induce spontaneous abortion, affect birth weight, and bring about fetal malformation (Tin Stockwell, 2002).
Underage Smoking
Psychological, or cognitive, reasons for smoking still play a significant role in the initiation of smoking, as a health risk behavior, and models of health behavior. Smoking mostly starts in childhood, fewer starting after the age of nineteen or twenty. Many children try their first cigarette in primary school and motivating factors range from the desire to appear more grown-up, or the wish for adult status, adolescent rebelliousness and striving for proper group status. Older groups of smokers gave different reasons for smoking, such as the reduction of tension, novel experience, curiosity, peer orientation and personality inferiority (Patton and Hibbert, 2000).
In the United States it was found that there is a strong relationship between people’s self-esteem and their future smoking behavior. Girls between ages ten to fifteen with low self-esteem in any given school year were around three times more likely to start smoking than girls at the same age with high self-esteem. (Patton and Hibbert, 2000)
Conclusion
Smoking and alcohol drinking were common and clustered among adolescents of a rapid developing country hence the need for early and integrated prevention programs. In addition to the increased risk of chronic diseases at an older age, smoking and alcohol drinking in adolescent s are associated with more immediate health hazards such as depression, interpersonal violence, motor vehicle crashes and drowning, risky sexual behaviors and suicidal behavior. (Tin Stockwell, 2002)
Behavior initiated during adolescence tends to track into adulthood. Early experience with smoking and alcohol drinking increases the risk of subsequent tobacco and alcohol dependencies. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for clinical cardiovascular disease and may also be associated with poorer cognitive functioning in older ages for the general population aged over 50 years who smoke regularly (Gera, 1991).
Age at initiation of smoking was a significant factor for continuation of smoking. Men who started smoking before 16 years of age had an odds ratio of 2.1 for not quitting smoking compared to those who started at a later age. These findings emphasize the need for a prevention program targeted to children below 16 years of age (Goddard E and Higgins V, 2000).
Reference
Goddard E and Higgins V (2000): Drug use, smoking among young teenagers.
Tin Stockwell (2002): Medical Journal of USA.
Little R.E and Graham J.M (1982): Fetal alcohol effects in humans and animals.
Gera D (1991): The effect of prenatal alcohol use on growth of children.
Grant B.F and Stinson (2001): Age at onset of alcohol use.
Patton G.C and Hibbert M (2000): Patterns of common drug use in teenagers.