Tobacco Documents Online

Tbis coluuln omteen-age smoking was widely published. The secondi survey, at right, received limited''attentioni. - HEPIALD STATESMt#T3' ~ Yonkers, New York March 1, 1962 NEW YORK POST New York, New York March 8, 1962 .: XHAT YOUNG PEOPLE THINK * rJ:~ `.. Survey ' Finds ` s, increasingAzam, Survey ShQws; .~, .~ ~iga~rette, ~ ~~ m~ol~ng~ By Teen -Agers~ ~ ~ ~~~ M t~t ~o~~~INa~ ~ ~ , . . . . .~~~..... • By Et"GE)w'D GILBERT Cigarette smoking, a habiti •Only one nut of three teen-~ w h i c h declined measurably ~ agers who smoke does so as among teen-agers at' the height!often, as once a day, our survey!' of' reports linking, it' with lungishowid; and, nearly as many, 2T be on the up-'t h ct ia w ek f n r ea ee unes the daily . O swing on ga•in. Our latest survey of'America'sl smokers; half smoke only one to young, people shows 36 per cent.four cigarettes, 10 per cent con+ of them smoke, compared with isume a, pack or more. 25 per cent two years ago. The years from 14 to 16 appear Both figures, however, are a•ell+to be the period when teen-aqers: below the findings of a 1'957 sur-+are most attracted' to smoking... vey. And' only a third, of the;dne in four begirs during those N "smokers indulge every day. tyears. It' may be stgnifucant that '~~ The possibility smokin;, causes'only 2 pPr cent begin atter they' C , lung cancer-an assertion, mci- pass 17, and that of those who. Y~ dentally; of which alli but 7 per don't' smoke only 8 per cent feel. f~ cent are aware--still leads the they might someday try. (h list, of'reasons teen-agers give for' Thp, majority of 64 per cent ~ not smoking, Cost of eigarettes ;v,ho don't smoke ofter, a number 'is another, of reasons for their abstinence. ~.. Another change in the picture vSeventy-sia per cent said they' O over the past two years is the 'n•ere afraid it might cause lung number of boys who smoke com- canccr; and of those who smoke, Q, pared with the number of girls. nearly' half' said fear of' cancer \_ In 1960, teen-age smokers in::might mske them decide to give -cluded 30 per cent boys and 20 it up. Only 16' per cent, however, per, cent girls. Today's group ic expect to quit soon. made, up of 36 per cent boys and Diane E. Haydbk, 16; of' Ii{ono- 32'_per cent girls. Why do teen~agers smoke? luiu, llla~~•aii~ commented, "Al- "It' relaxes me;" said 15-year- though the rrports on canr~r old Phyllis Wernick of New York were not conclusive, I woulda~'t City, and most other smokers as- take any chancea,"' she said. Martha the same thing. There antha Ka'tz: 19, of Cbral' Ca- was some evidence, however, bles, Fla., said she doesn't hc- that some take up the practice heve the cancer reports but does •purely to win social acceptance. not smoke simply because shc. . ~. does' not enjoy it. Pam Dermit, ' 'I startrdl for soein.l reasons;. •adnoittc•d Rosie Rappaport, ]6, of 1'8, of Whittier. Catif:, said she Roc4cville Center, N.Y. Perhaps doesn'.t, smoke because her boy- more significant was the answer friend doesn't approve. 'of 18-yearold Richard Brown of Those who once had' smoked Linr"oin; Neb.. who felt compelled but later gave it up (and nearly to point~ out he started smoking one out' of seven ihad`thus experi- ,'7or enjoyment only - not to mented) also oftered a variety make a hit with the crowd."' of reasons. IF,Igure Conscious Lynn Johnson, 16, of Ridge- A significant reason for smok- wood. N.J~, said she had tried ing ~~,as adbHnced by a surpris- smok°ng "for social reasons .ing, number of' figure-conscious only" and gave it up because "I girls, typifiied, hy Linda Hart- didn't like it', really,"' Gene man of Louisville, Ky. "It' de- Smith, 17, of'Mackinaw, Ill., said '.stmuq my appetiith so I can keep he figurPdl his new girlfriend my fi Rure."' What it does to her '90ulrl ob)ect 15-year-old Mike •health she didn't mention. Sarnoff of Et:e; Pa., said the L 1On the other hand, 16-yearold habit got iro v:.i'nr.~,c; and Ahbin Brown of Syraruse, N.Y., yearoldl Louis Johns of rinR- said she dhesn'l smoke and never hamtion„ NiY., gave nn eqL;ally will "'because it stains your teeth frank reasonl Said' l.ouis: and my beauty is more impor-• ,~•\iy mother ca+i„ht me." aant than anL•ihinc eltr:"' The number of teenagie ~ smokers Is hig11, but there's not mucheducators1 can, do a~boutit.: Thir; is the concllasittrr reached by Anthony DiBene-: detto, health education super- visor in, the Levittown. L,I:, school district, who conduct'erll a survey of the smoking habits of 1,400 junior and' senior high achooi students there. About one-third of the 1',41•1, junior and senior high students who completed the youthful Di, Benedetto's questionnaives, pre-• pared by the Americ'an Cancer Society, smoke. Adult Pattern Follotred "It may be surprising for .some;° he told The Post yester. day "But it's really no surprise :to those who watch these kids every day. "It's an arcept+td' adult be- havlor pattern. The students see all the adults smoke and they followw suit. Nobody t'hinks much any more about smok.' 69!'n Di.sobeyed Parents Of those who smoked, 69 1per oent began Aoing so against their parents' wLshes. And only `8' per cent of the non-smwkers gave parenital disapproval as a reason for their abstinence, Only 2 per cent more boys than girls smoked. ?Uiost honng- sters started at 14. More than half the junior and senior high schooi stud'ents gave relaxation as a reason for smoking. Only 10 per cent smoked more than a pack a day; Some blamed habit or' social status-seeking, Non•smokers largely emphasized the fear of !l1 health. Some said't'hey didn'tt like the taste of cigarets. • T1te survey was conducted last sprittg, at the Jonas Salk J.H.S, and the Division Av. H.S. ' Yt was sponsored by the Nassau County Division of the Anaeri- • can Can+cer Soclety.