Average Age to Start Smoking in Mexico is 12 Years Old, Not Youth But Children

Source from:  Yucatan Times (mx)  12/05/2012

Miguel Karam, researcher and professor at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM), stated that smoking "In average the age to start smoking is 12 years old, we are not talking about youth, we are talking about children," stressed the academic at workshop "Smoking in Mexico, a public health problem" gave at the Autonomous University of Yucatan ( UADY).

The impact of smoking also has increased among women, a worrying situation because they are the ones that will go through pregnancy impacting their offspring. "It is not only the low weight of the baby at birth, but also smoking produce changes in the brain developing as a consequence."
 
Among the factors that lead to tobacco consumption among the children, adolescents and youth, the specialist cited biological causes and imitation of smoking parents, relatives and friends. The stressful living conditions combined with frustration of an unclear employment future increase the tendency to smoke, despite the level of education acquired.
 
"There is no doubt that today the living conditions for children and young Mexicans are more stressful and demanding. This generates a under stress conditions and one of the outlet ways is smoking, this is how drug consumption starts also."
 
According to the UAEM researcher, currently 50 percent (over 56 million) of Mexican smoke. "We are a huge amount of smokers" he also recalled that this phenomenon is due to European campaigns to discourage tobacco consumption, so "That is when the tobacco companies turned to countries like Mexico to launch effective penetration strategies that enabled them to reach vulnerable populations such as young people."
 
He said that every day more than 100 people in the country die from causes related to smoking, "We see that lung cancer is a typical cause of death, but there are other causes such as heart attack."
 
Karam said that increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes does not inhibit consumption, "The effect has been minimal, even with the terrible images printed on the packs."
 
Academic of the UAEM urged universities and colleges to create awareness and provide the information of the effects of smoking.
 
"It is essential that programs and research findings are disseminated to raise awareness among the public, government officials, businesses, etc. It is the responsibility of the education institutions to inform and communicate the risk of smoking to everyone", he concluded. Enditem