However, there is a significant and unexpected difference- the age at which lung cancer shows up. While the prevalence of lung cancer has steadily decreased, the age at which it is diagnosed has gotten younger and younger, reflecting an earlier age of smoking initiation. Effects such as lung cancer are rapidly appearing in people in their 20s and 30s indicating this earlier age of initiation. The authors suggest ongoing national surveys on teenage smoking rates to monitor these trends. In addition, they suggest continued public education programs that discourage teenage smoking, providing evidence of major health effects earlier in life.
Exercise significantly enhances smokers' chances of successfully quitting.
Remedies to Smoking Trends and Consequences Several studies have looked at ways to decrease tobacco initiation and consumption. One recent study in the American Journal of Public Health modeled the effect of an excise tax on cigarettes on population health in California. Findings suggest that the health benefits will increase the longer the tax is in effect. Since fewer teenagers will initiate smoking because of increased prices, there will be fewer people in the pool to develop future tobacco-related illnesses. Kaplan R et al.