Page 98 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2021

HEALTHY LIVING
THE PLAGUE OF
Ending Tobacco and Nicotine Use in Adolescents
story by Luke Height
photo courtesy of Beach View Family Dental
Dr. Karen Crews of Beach View Family Dental in Gulfport
is passionate about, and dedicated to, helping solve a major problem that plagues our teenage youth: the use of tobacco and nicotine. It’s surprising to learn that this pandemic has been a ecting our youth in vast numbers. “Each day approximately 1,600 youth use their rst tobacco product and more than twice as many report using two or more products,” says Dr. Crews.
From her extensive research and knowledge about the subject, she helps us understand why this is a problem. “The use of tobacco products during adolescence increases the risk for lifelong addiction and serious adverse health e ects, such as heart disease, cancer (oral, throat, lung, etc.) and a host of other tobacco related illnesses,” she says.
“Additionally, there is emerging data on the negative e ects of vaping products, such as dry mouth, which is known to increase the risk for dental decay and gum disease. Vaping also increases the risk for asthma and chronic lung disease.” Even knowing this, many young people still choose to use.
Dr. Crews’ states that research has shown that factors associated with the young who decide to try tobacco products are: use by parents and family members, lack of support from parents, use by friends; low self-image; a perceived method to manage weight; and mass media
imagery showing tobacco product use as a normal activity. Also, there are biologic and genetic factors that can cause a young person to feel more dependent on nicotine. Parents who use during pregnancy can increase the likelihood that their children will use in the future.
There are some positive statistics pointing towards a brighter future. “In January 2021, the CDC reported that from 2019
to 2020 there was a decrease in current use of any tobacco product, such as cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah and e-cigarettes among high school and middle school students,” says Crews. She believes the problem is large enough that we need national, state and local programs working together to prevent
and reduce usage by today’s youth. How does she propose we can begin solving the problem? Working as a community to lead our youth towards a healthier and brighter future.
9072 Lorraine Rd., Gulfport 228.896.1840 www.beachviewfamilydental.com
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Dr. Karen Crews
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