Health Conditions

What are the risk factors?

Surveys have shown that young adults age 18 to 25 years have the greatest incidence of starting to use tobacco products. Teenage use of tobacco products is most often initiated by the need to be accepted by their peers who smoke and the need to feel like they fit in. Some teens have also reported that they began using tobacco products in order to rebel against their parents. Recent research has also shown that teenagers are the most resistant to antismoking messages and campaigns, because they do not fully understand the complications that smoking tobacco can initiate.

The pleasant feeling associated with nicotine use is often helpful to people who want to decrease their stress levels. Consequently, people who have high-stress work environments or difficult family situations may be more likely to use nicotine, at least on an occasional basis.

A few small studies have shown that persons are more likely to begin smoking if a parent smoked. Parents, the most influential role models in children, often dictate the positive and negative behaviors of their children.