Homework Help

Smoking and You

Brief overview of the topic:

Young people start to smoke for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s because their friends are trying it and they want to be part of a particular social group (aka peer pressure) or because they want to convey a particular image. Other reasons children and teens try smoking is because they are curious or they think it helps them to relax. Some want to rebel against adults while others smoke because they want to be seen as more grown up.

Once young people start to smoke they usually have different smoking patterns than adults. They may smoke only on weekends or when they are at school. Because they smoke occasionally, a lot of young people believe that it is easier for them to quit. Unfortunately, this is not the case. (See Basic Facts and Stats)

You can do a school project on youth smoking patterns as part of subjects such as: Psychology, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education, Science and Technology.

Here are some ideas and questions to investigate for a school project:

• Why do young people start to smoke? Have there been studies that compare differences between girls and boys or of teens in different countries or different generations?
• Talk to teens who smoke and ask them why they started and if they want to quit. Have they tried quitting? Why weren’t they successful?
• What are some of the health affects of smoking on young people? Are these health affects different than adults?
• Do young people smoke differently than adults?
• Is it easier or more difficult for young people to quit smoking? Why or why not?
• Research and develop a list of “teen quit tips” specially designed for teens who want to quit smoking.
• Research and report on the harmful effects of smoking on athletic performance.
• Conduct an opinion survey on whether smoking should be allowed at outdoor sports events.
• Is second-hand smoke harmful in an outdoor setting?  Conduct an investigation and interview some of your friends and family.
• Write a short story about how a group of students faced the odds and fought for a ban on smoking in their community’s parks, playgrounds and beaches.