Tobacco prevention and cessation in pediatric patients.

Abstract

1. Jonathan D. Klein, MD, MPH* 2. Deepa R. Camenga* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, and the AAP Center for Child Health Research, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. List the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. 2. Describe the potential effects of environmental or passive smoke exposure in children. 3. Delineate when smoking usually begins. 4. Describe the roles of pediatricians in counseling patients and parents about tobacco use and smoke exposure. Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Despite major efforts to prevent and reduce smoking, initiation of tobacco use among children and adolescents remains high (Table 1). More than 2,000 young people become regular smokers every day, as many as one in three adolescents currently smokes, more than 15% of high school students report having smoked a cigar in 2001, and 8% of all teens report smokeless tobacco use. Additionally, many children are exposed to environmental or secondhand smoke. | | ||