NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, as some of you know (I started another thread on it) I have a biiiig project due in, called "What Causes Teenagers To Smoke And What Short And Long-Term Effects Does It Have?" This needs to be a very big project, over ten pages or so (don't laugh, thats a lot for me :() and I'm out of ideas for chapters. I have one for Causes as to why teens start smoking, one on what the governments are doing to crack down on it, one on the differences between boys and girls and one on the health problems it causes. Any more ideas for chapters? Please help :(

Teenagers being apathetic to the dangers

I mean, come to my health class sometime. We're being taught about the dangers of smoking and all the self-declared smokers vocally don't give a crap.

you could do a chapter on the varying responsibilites of parents and schools, about who should take more reponsibility for educating children about it. put a bit about parents who smoke maybe influencing people?

then if youre really running out of space put in a chapter on civil liberties and the right of a person to smoke if they want. that should fill up space, even if it isnt directly answering the question its still related.

Recomend a good brand.

cultural aspect? how it being seen as 'cool' to smoke in the 50s still hasn't changed much for many teenagers and what effect this has.

Influence of advertising on smoking habits... (I've read somewhere there was a tobacco brand marketed specifically to hip-hop fans or something like that...)

Financial implications, cost of cigarettes per packet how much spent a year and what you could buy if you don't smoke. Damage to your family and pets via passive smoking. Bad breath and dental discoloration. Is your date a smoker? ie If a movie star asked you out but was a smoker/non smoker would you start/ give up for them. Damage to your environment, how much tar gets into your curtains/drapes bed linen, clothes,cushions wallpaper etc. How much the tabacco companies make from cigarettes per packet versus how much you spend also how much goes to the govern ment in taxes. How much extra you have to pay for health ,travel, personal,car insurence if you are a smoker. Hope these ramblings help. Good luck. :)

does this project include the smoking of non-tobacco products? you know what i'm talking about...

does this project include the smoking of non-tobacco products? you know what i'm talking about...

Pure meth?

Ok, thanks for the help so far.
Colodia, I can't do a full chapter on that unfortunately, but I will add it into one of the other chapters.
Nadkor, thanks for the good advice as usual, I could well fill a chapter with the responsibilities. Thanks.
Monkeypimp, thanks for the laugh:p
Pure Metal, I'll see if I can do a chapter on that, might be a stretch.

does this project include the smoking of non-tobacco products? you know what i'm talking about...
Cigarettes only.

Cigarettes only.
aw no fun :(

Have some statistics:
How many die per year in one country compared to a country with bans on smoking in public places.
How many smoke, have smoked, want to smoke. Try a poll on the forums.
Compare it to other vices; alcohol et cetera.

Hope that helps.

Maybe a chapter that discusses why tobacco is legal while other drugs aren't.

Have you actually interviewed a few teens ? For a really significant sample you of course need quite a lot of them, but just to hear some motivations to smoke and not to smoke you can limit it to a few.

Every once in a while I get tapped to compile 'old' media for a project and I always try and add an old cigarette ad. My last little coup was to put one in that had the Flinstones advertising Winston cigarettes. Another favorite is a Camel radio ad that claims Camel is the healthy cigarette because in a 30 day study of Camel smokers there was no notable health consiquences. (Which is why I say, yeah-if you started smoking before a certain point your where being lied to.)

How do you advertise something that everyone knows is dangerous to your health, smells bad, etc etc? I'm sure you've already looked at how it's advertised, but look specificly to how they are constructed-the idea, as someone touched on in their health class, that people end up smoking almost because of the health risks. How they construct the image of smoking.

I'm almost certain you've gone to the kinda irratating folks at truth.com. They have memos and documents about how they want thier advertising shaped, you could compare the memos with what actually makes it to 'the street,' so to speak.

Also, there is the new thing where smokers aren't hired or even fired for being smokers based on the health coverage. Also, the head of Warner Brothers dislikes smoking a great deal and strives to have smoking removed from films put out by the company (they still get put out, but not without a fight.) You could add stuff like that.

The correlation between social status, cultural background, etc., and smoking.

A few years ago several tobacco companies began to focus their advertising ( and I kid you not! ) on young women who "drink beer and attend tractor pulls." To me, this indicates that certain cultural mileus lend themselves more to smoking than others.

How about the ways in which other countries deal with teenage smoking?

Good luck!

how about a chapter on the history/background of smoking, some info about cigarettes, how harmful it can be, myths and reality-don't ask me what that could be about,

what is it for anyway? like, what subject?
sorry if i'm repeating anything that others have said, but i couldn't be bothered to read the rest of the posts.

Availability of tabacco products can be something to mention.

Also, the complications it has on anothers and how that impacts the smoker. Arrogance to non-smokers for example.

Did you mention addiction and the chemicals in the tabacco products? You could go into how they work inside the body and how the body reacts to them.

Smoking is more addictive than heroin if started young. Some mention on that...

Teenagers being apathetic to the dangers

I mean, come to my health class sometime. We're being taught about the dangers of smoking and all the self-declared smokers vocally don't give a crap.
...where is it, where is it...damn, I didn't bring it with me...
I'll try to remember.

I just read about a study why teenagers often act irresponsibly. It's not about hormons, their brains are jammed. Literally. They don't see the risk when it's obvious to every one else.

How about a chapter on why teenagers choose NOT to smoke. You know, the oher side of the argument. It could be financial reasons, health concerns, not wanting the ageing effects on the skin, bad smell etc. This is actually very important because government departments look at the 'why nots' to dictate policy and steer campaigns