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Increase in young smokers
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Posted on Apr 30 2001
The Issue: Reported increase in teenage smokers among the island’s young people, girls and boys.
Our View: We might see sharp increases in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases some 20-30 years from today.
Cigarette smoking, betel nut and tobacco chewing are common among young people throughout the island. It can be found in and out of school campuses among teenagers.
The bad habits are taken up either to look hip or pass time (smoking) or get a high before and after class (betel nut and tobacco chewing). Even mchildren would ask for a piece of cigarette to stick it in betel nut as they about their ways. This too is very alarming!
If our young children continue these habits well into adulthood, then it equally means that down the stretch, the CNMI would be dealing with sharp increases in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. In other words, the health condition of young people up ahead would be ruined by negligent use of betel nut and tobacco products.
It’s a situation that needs to be addressed aggressively by parents given the quiet nature of the use of habit forming betel nut and tobacco msmoking and chewing. It isn’t simply and teacher’s role to police your children’s errant behavior or self-destructing habit. It must start at the home front and it simply means, mom and dad must know each child’s mneeds and wants. Unhealthy habit forming use of tobacco and betel nut mmay look suspiciously hip, but it is self-destructing (health wise) down the stretch.
Imagine an increase in oral cancer between the mouth right into the stomach. Or an increase in assorted though fatal cardiovascular and respiratory diseases because we failed to assist our young children steer clear of bad and ruinous habits. If you will, long term illnesses are not only costly, but an imposition on family scarce resources and energy. Our children deserve something better than negligence on the part of parents. Let’s do something about it today. Let’s keep our young people strong and healthy! Si Yuus Maase`!
