TeenFX.com Interview with Dr. Robin Mermelstein

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Dr. Robin Mermelstein

What is your occupation and position?

I am an Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago and the Deputy Director of the Health Research and Policy Centers, University of Illinois at Chicago.

What are some of your major professional accomplishments? For example: positions, publications or awards?

I direct a research center on health behavior research – conducting research to understand the causes of unhealthy behavior and what we can do to help reduce people’s risk for disease, increase their positive health behaviors, and to prevent disease.

I’ve been the recipient of several federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate health behaviors, such as teenage smoking or programs to help people to stop smoking. I’ve published numerous articles in scientific journals.

What are some statistics regarding smoking that may be of interest to teenagers?

The rate of smoking among teenagers increased steadily through the 1990s, and over the past three years, have started to level off or decline. Most people who become established smokers started smoking during their teen years (or between ages 10-18). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 3 teenagers aged 17 or younger who ever smoke regularly will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

In the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted during the spring, 2000 , 11.0% of middle school students and 28.1% of high school students reported smoking at least once in the past 30 days. Overall, 13.6% of high school students are frequent smokers – that is they report smoking at least 20 days of the past 30. Data from the 2000 National Youth Tobacco Survey also show that 36.3% of middle school students have ever tried smoking – even a puff. By high school, 64.1% of high school students have ever tried smoking –even a puff.

Almost two times as many white high school students smoke as African-American high school students. More white students smoke than do Hispanic high school students.

Why do teens start smoking?

Teens start smoking for many reasons. One common reason for starting is for the social image – teens often smoke because they think that smoking will give them an image that they desire (more mature, cool, sophisticated, tough, etc.). Teens also start smoking as a way to fit in with certain groups or because they think lots of other teens smoke (they overestimate how many teens smoke). Teens smoke just because some of their friends smoke. Teens may also try smoking out of curiosity, to do something “risky,” or because they expect something good from smoking.

Why are cigarettes bad?

Cigarette smoking is the chief preventable cause of premature death and illness in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and other deadly cancers, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other conditions that form a wide variety of very serious health consequences.

Active smoking by teenagers is associated with significant health problems during the teenage years and with increased risk for health problems in adulthood.

Cigarette smoking during the teen years reduces the rate of lung growth and the level of maximum lung function that can be achieved. Teen smokers are likely to be less physical fit than teen nonsmokers. Teen smokers are significantly more likely than teen nonsmokers to have shortness of breath, coughing spells, phlegm production, wheezing, and overall lower physical health. Smoking by children and teens is associated with an increased risk of early atherosclerotic lesions (cardiovascular disease). (This data came from the Surgeon General’s Report of Tobacco Use Among Young People).

What makes cigarettes addictive?

The nicotine in cigarettes is the addictive agent. Cigarette smoking is a drug addiction. Drug addiction is defined as any disorder in which an individual compulsively takes in chemicals that are psychoactive (in this case nicotine). Psychoactive substances are ones that alter brain function and product transient effects on mood. Nicotine is a very powerful psychoactive drug. Nicotine, taken in through cigarette smoking, produces all the effects attributed to psychoactive drug use -- including dependence, and withdrawal.

Is there evidence that cigarettes lead to the use of other drugs?

Cigarette smoking among teenagers is often associated with other drug use – alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Some researchers consider that cigarettes may be a “gateway” to other drug use.

How much smoking is bad, is there a limit?

ANY smoking is bad – not just because of the health damage that may occur, but also because even the first cigarette may lead a teenager to continue smoking, and thus, having more and more health problems and addiction.

What interesting findings have recently been discovered about cigarette smoking?

We know that cigarette smoking is linked to a complex array of environmental, psychological, and biological factors. We know now, for example, that cigarette smoking actually changes brain functioning and structures.

We also are getting more and more evidence that there is a genetic component to cigarette smoking – that the tendency to develop addiction has a genetic component. That is, if your parent smokes, you are at much greater risk for smoking. We also have learned that tobacco advertising is a primary reason why teenagers start to smoke, and that tobacco company marketing and advertising increases rates of teen smoking.

Which method has the best success rate for people trying to quit smoking and why?

Stopping smoking is very hard, and there is no one guaranteed method for quitting. The best methods involve a combination of techniques – increasing motivation for quitting, understanding one’s patterns of smoking, teaching skills for how to resist temptations to smoke, teaching skills for how to plan ahead for trouble spots that might lead one to smoke, teaching skills for problem-solving, and providing lots of support.

For people who feel dependent on nicotine or who experience withdrawal symptoms, then there are also medications (nicotine replacement therapies) that can help with quitting.

If scare tactics don’t stop teens from smoking what other alternatives are there?

Teens need to think about the costs associated with smoking – smoking makes you smell bad, have bad breath, may be unappealing to others, other teens may think that you are having problems if you smoke, the actual monetary costs of smoking, and perhaps the social ostracism. Focusing on some of these more immediate negative consequences of smoking may help prevent teens from smoking.

Teens also need to understand how the tobacco companies manipulate them through advertising and marketing of cigarettes, and teens need to think about whether they want to be subject to that kind of manipulation.

Is second-hand smoke bad, and why?

Yes. Second-hand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). There are both serious short-term and long-term effects from exposure to ETS. Nonsmokers who are exposed to ETS may experience short-term symptoms such as eye irritation, nasal symptoms, sore throat, and hoarseness. Long-term health effects of ETS include increased risk of disease and death from cancer, heart disease, and chronic lung disease.

Among middle and high school aged teenagers, ETS exposure can cause a variety of respiratory effects such as reduced lung function and development, acute respiratory illnesses, new cases of asthma or worsening of asthma, and chronic respiratory symptoms. ETS exposure increases the risk of frequent infections.

Is there anything a teenager can do to help a friend or relative stop smoking?

Let the friend or relative know that you care and are willing to help them to stop. Giving support (not nagging) is the best thing. Offer to do things with them to get their mind off smoking during the first few days after quitting. Be tolerant of irritability they may experience during the first days after quitting.

Where can a teen go to get more information about how to stop smoking?

Speak to your family doctor. Ask a school counselor. Call the local American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society. Try searching for web sites.

This interview was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Inc.

Post a Comment
	Danielle	04-07-09

Hey Its Me And I Hardly Go Through A Parking Garage Because I Live In Montana! O Well Then I Think He Is Gonna Stop Cause I Talked To Him!


	Danielle	04-07-09

I think smoking is sooo disgusting! My dad does it and he smokes around me ME!!! Also he doesnt belive anybody that it is harmful! He belives that walking through a parking garage will damage you more than second-hand smoke! I think that it is very harmful and could harm you!


	Jessica	12-11-08

i blame teen smoking on the adults because they influence teens to try to smoke


	Annie	05-12-06

It doesnt really matter whos to blame when yooure laying in a hospital bed needing a lung transplant does it? It doesnt really matter to the innocent person that you go ahead of on the waiting list either.


	Molly	12-21-05

For the past year or so I've smoked cigarettes when ever I feel like it- whether it's once a day or a pack a day or just not at all- and I've never felt remotely addicted. I think people who get addicted to cigs are seriously TRYING to make a habit out of it. I cigarettes. They offer peace and tranquility. The little buzz i get off of them s not only to de-stress but also to supress my appetite. It's like an little diet. However, I can go for however long I need to or want to without them and not flip out.


	neja	06-21-05

Chocolate is a drug as well. I started smoking 2 years ago, not because my friends did it or anything like that. I'd just always wanted to try it. I started enjoying it after my 3rd cigarette and it was then that I decided to quit. After that, I smoke a few more and then gave up. My parents have both been regular smokers for many years, but I didn't find it very hard to quit and I'm happy I did. Unfortunately, my best friend couldn't. I think no matter what doctors or friends try to tell a smoker in order to him/her quit, it cannot be done unless he/she finds a very strong personal reason to.


	Lindsey	03-16-05

Does anybody else think all this "Gateway" talk is a bunch of BS? Ok, first pot was a "gateway" to hard drugs, now cigarettes are a "gateway" to pot, et cetera? Well, how far back to you want to take this little exercise in eternity?People who chew gum usually smoke, so gum just HAS to be a "gateway" to cigarettes. How about we go back to the granddaddy of them all, the biggest gateway ever: life?


	Randi	09-11-04

Just to let every young person out there I used to smoke but then I relized all the Chemicals that u inhail from one cigarette and I decided to quite. And with the of my loving boyfriend Kyle by my side trough it all! << People walk in and out of your heart but only friends leave foot prints! >>


	April	06-16-04

I hate the people that smoke in our resturants and at baseball games and stuff. Don't they know that not everyone there likes the smell of that crap?We also don't want to be interupped by you coughing away because you amde a bad choice when you where younger and you got addicted. They think that they really look awesome with bad breath, smelly clothes, and a wrinkly face? What has our world turned into...


	Dallas	01-05-04

Why bother smoking? It's a killer! Life is precious and to be lived.


	Lianna	11-30-03

Ok i smoke once in a while with a group of friends but i dont think that will affect me or anyone else so people should lay off about teen smoking.


	Shawnee	10-27-03

I need to know i smoke a puff every now and then i was wondering does taht show up on a physical?


	Erin	08-18-03

many teenagers hear somthin that ppl always tell them not to do then they wanna do it more so teachers and doctors should say it in a way that isnt sayin it to much


	Christine	05-30-03

Its interesting to hear what a professional has to say about smoking. Usually we get health teachers tell us what not to do when they themselves do it. Thanks!


	~SeXyChIkA~	05-19-03

Ok I think if they dont want teens to smoke they need to lay off the issue and stop makeing makeing it so risque to smoke teenagers want to go angainst restrictions and look if smokeing wasnt so considered bad in societys image teenagers wouldnt want it as much.Also I think people should make there own decisions and should learn from them the worst thing someone can do is try and risrcit someone in fear of something or of getting hurt truthfully they need to experience it for themselves for over time there need to experience that becomes stronger and they become more nasty about the subject and generally get nastier because of thier self concious thooughts constantly digging away in thier head.


	Jenny	05-08-03

This is an awful habit and not .


	barbra	03-11-03

smoking is prob one of the hardest things to quit..i would kno...i regret eva starting n i try so hard to quit but no matta wut i keep goin bac to it...its not n u should neva start...i kno that if i eva catch my little sis or bro wit a cigg ill kick their ass..dont smoke its bad n ull end up loosing the friends that care about u most


	tracy	01-28-03

A lot of teens start smoking to fit into the popular crowd at school. There is nothing about smoking. It makes you smell and gives you a yellowish skin color. Don't smoke. It's bad for you. Many members of my family died due to smoking.


	Eden	01-01-03

I think that smoking isn't , , or anything. i have been smoking for i think going on 5 years... and just recently i have decided to quit, and it's not . I am going on i think 4 ciggarettes a day now , which is still horrible... but it's an improvment from the pack i used to smoke a day. I think that people should think about the harm and nasty stuff it does to you... i know that i wish i did. I have just one question.... what exactly does smoking do to better you?


	[firestarter]	12-29-02

Of all things to get addicted to, I wouldn't let myself get addicted to smoking tobacco cigarettes.


	LeAnna	12-24-02

I think it is to smoke it makes you feel like you are ready for anything and even when you smoke pot you feel relaxed!


	Melissa	11-16-02

ummm ok there IS a limit to how much u can smoke. as long as ur not addicted,and you only have a few when u go out on the weekends, its all . right? i mean, sometimes ur at a bar or party or smth, and ur feeling kinda akward and u dont know what to do with ur hands, so u have a ciggi. its not a big deal. just dont get addicted. ive been doing it for years and im not addicted at all. i know this becoz when i go on vacation with my family during the summer, i dont smoke for 3 months, and i dont crave it either.


	Andrew	11-09-02

Interesting stuff.


	jake	08-20-02

I cant understand why some many people think smoking is . Most of the time when I am around people who smoke I get really nauseas. I always knew how bad smoking was for you, and this just reaffirmed all my previous beliefs.


	Nicole	07-24-02

I have some friends that smoke and they have been pressuring me to try, but after reading this I am definitely going to think twice about trying one.


	Joey	07-10-02

I don't like smoking. I think it is so true that teens smoke to look , well it is pretty UNCOOL.


	.Snow.White.	07-03-02

Whats the point in killing your body when you have a choice not to do so in the first place!?? Thanks for the interview, Dr. Mermelstein.


	Andrew	06-27-02

This interview has a nasty little message for teen smokers. It's time to quit.


	Da®k LoTus™	06-24-02

So many kids smoke, so i'm glad you have given us this information. Thanks.


	Joey	06-13-02

This is really disturbing to me becuase my friends Gerhard and Grame are always smoking. Perhaps my telling them this will them want to stop. I've tried talking with them but without facts there is nothing that I can do alone. This will be a big . I hope this info can make them at least know that there killing themselves.


	Nikki	06-12-02

I can't believe how bad smoking is for you!! I heard that when you smoke for years in your homes and take down a picture there will be a tar outline behind the picture frame. How gross!! I also figured out in my health class that the tar can build up and block your kidneys and arterys causing you to have a heart attack. What I don't know is why people do this to themselves. It is so stupid!


	Court	06-07-02

Wow, I have never tried a cigarette and after reading this I definitely don't think I want to try.


	Shaun	05-26-02

Hang in there Tamara! Don't let these teenybopper heads try to run your life. These kids have obviously been mind(TeenFX RULEZ!)ed by one too many Truth commercials. I how easily they have been brainwashed into blaming the tobacco industry for people smoking. Guess what people? Anyone who is still smoking at this point is making a concious decision to do so. They have weighed the benefits and consequences of their actions, and they have decided what works best for their bodies. Smoking is addictive, but anyone who truly wants to quit can do so. If they choose not to quit, then who are you to tell them what they can or can't do with their own bodies. I swear this country is going to hell in a handbasket.


	Tamara	05-26-02

i smoke, im 15, and i dont care what all you people say, im not gunna quite because its the "right thing to do"


	Dani	05-14-02

sometimes it ISN'T a persons fault, they could be addicted their whole lives. some kids who's parents smoked or drank or did drugs when they were pregnant are addicted to the drugs themself..if they are around it their whole lives the addiction never goes away. its up to the person to get rid of the addiction!


	Emma	05-11-02

tHERE IS A GOOD REASON. tOBBACO COMPANIES PUT ADDICTAVE THINGS IN THEIR CIGGERATES ( LIKE NICOTINE) AND THEREFOR WHO EVER HAS A FEW CIGGERATES WILL BECOME AN ADDICT.


	Michelle	05-09-02

This may be off topic, but do any of you feel that the tobacco industry is to blame? It makes me sick to read about a person suing a big money tobacco company for THEIR addiction to nicotine. Everyone makes their own decisions and if they are addicted to cigarettes; it's their fault and no one elses. It's a shakedown. In all seriousness, that's like a fat person suing Burger King for their weight problem. Does anyone agree...? Even a little...?


	Court	05-08-02

The information you gave about "teen Smoking" is so true. The first time I smoked it was that Iwas trying to be .WRONG DESICISION!!!But I was young and felt like I needed acceptance from that "in" crowd.Anyway thanks again for a great interview TEENFX.COM[


		05-08-02

It' about time someone tell teens th truth about smoking. It is a very nasty habit. Thanks Dr.Mermelstein


	Jackie	04-26-02

It is a pity that so many of us smoke. With statistics against me I guess it's time to do something about myself. Thanks for sharing this bad news with us.


	Charmelle Smith	04-24-02

The interview with Dr.Robin Mermelstein. was very informative about somking cigarettes. And the consequences. The reasons she gave for teens smoking are so true. Peer Pressure is so hard when you are trying to fit in . But she gave great advice and facts. Thanks Teenfx. for the interview.


	Court	04-24-02

I think that is so true, there is so much peer pressure to try a cigarette. You want to be accepted by ' ' kids, so you end up giving in to that pressure. It is so important to stick to what you believe in and not give in to the peer pressure.