Teen Smoking
Ninety percent of all new smokers are children and teens. Each day, more than 5,000 people under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette, and more than 2,000 of these people will become regular smokers. If you have recently started smoking, quit. If you are thinking about starting to smoke, don’t. Not only does smoking give you bad breath, yellow teeth, and smelly clothes, it is a very expensive habit and is EXTREMELY bad for your health.
Smoking:
- Causes immediate and long-term increases in blood pressure
- Causes immediate and long-term increases in heart rate
- Reduces cardiac output and coronary blood flow
- Reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the body’s tissues
- Changes the properties of blood vessels and blood cells, allowing cholesterol and other fatty substances to build up
- Contributes to higher blood pressure and increased risk of blood clot formation
- Damages blood vessels
- Doubles the risk of stroke
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Additional Information/Follow Up
Crozer-Keystone Health System is now completely smoke-free. Find more information on what this means for patients, physicians, employees and visitors.
For more information on quitting smoking or to learn more about smoking cessation sessions offered by the Crozer-Keystone Health System, contact Crozer-Keystone’s Community Health Education department at (610) 447-6009.
To learn how your health can improve by quitting smoking, visit http://www.whyquit.com.
