People who started smoking under the age of 18 are more likely to experience respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing and phlegm, in their 20s, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria. The study also found that the majority of young smokers had taken up the habit before they turned 18, and that the more cigarettes they smoked overall, the higher the risk of respiratory symptoms. Researchers say the study highlights the risks to children and teenagers from smoking , and shows how rapidly the effects of tobacco can be seen.
This is important since, in Europe, an estimated 16.7% of males and 11.2% of females aged between 15 and 24 are daily smokers.
The research was presented by Dr. Linnea Hedman, associate professor of epidemiology and public health at Umeå University, Sweden. Researchers recruited 3,430 eight-year-old children in northern Sweden and asked them to fill in questionnaires annually until they turned 19 and again when they reached the age of 28.
Overall, 22% said they were daily smokers at some point during the study. Of those who said they smoked, 29% started smoking when they were 15 or under, 35% started smoking when they were 16 or 17, and 35% started at 18 or older. The researchers took into account other factors that can affect lung health, such as a family history of asthma or growing up in a home where others smoke.
They found that smoking more cigarettes overall increased the risk of respiratory.