Teenagers who smoke menthol cigarettes are likely to light up more than teens who smoke regular cigarettes, a new study finds
Teenage smoking has been the focal point of many studies as there has been a noticeable increase in the habit in this age group in the last few decades. Digging a little deeper into this topic, researchers of a new study looked into how menthol cigarettes contribute to nicotine addiction.
"The appeal of menthol cigarettes among youth stems from the perception that they are less harmful than regular cigarettes. The minty taste helps mask the noxious properties, but the reality is that they are just as dangerous as any unflavoured cigarette," said Sunday Azagba, a scientist at Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterlood and lead author of the paper, in a press statement.
For the study, researchers examined the smoking habits data of 4,736 smokers in Canadian high schools that were part of the Health Canada's 2010-2011 Youth Smoking Survey.
Researchers found that teenagers who smoked menthol cigarettes consumed an average of 43 cigarettes a week compared to 26 among non-menthol smokers. Additionally, menthol users were three times more likely to continue smoking, at least for the next one year.
The survey also reported that one in every 10 high school teenagers were smokers. Of these, 32 percent are menthol users. Also, a majority of adult smokers begin this habit during adolescence.
"There is a growing concern that the high popularity of menthol cigarettes among youth may hinder the recent progress in preventing other young people from smoking because many of them may experiment with menthol rather than unflavored brands," said Azagba. "Our findings indicate that youth smoking of menthol cigarettes is a serious concern. It's clear moving forward that we need new laws to ban all added flavors in all tobacco products."
The study was funded by The Canadian Cancer Society. Findings are published online in the journal Cancer Causes and Control.
