Running head: Literature review

Smoking Effects on the Youth Population

Background on smoking, trends, devices, toxins e-cigarettes contain, and health risks

Junueen Torres

California State University Channel Islands

July 24, 2022

Author’s note:

This Literature Review was prepared for HLTH-499-Sec 001- Senior Capstone, taught by

Professor Ashley Winans. The author wishes to highlight that this paper was put together with

evidence from peer-reviewed articles and other trusted sources.

 Smoking Effects on the Youth Population

Smoking has been around for years, but it has recently risen its proportions to its peak.

This is a result of the media normalizing smoking and society’s acceptance creating it a major

public health issue. A public health issue is classified as an issue that affects a large population.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2020, the U.S smoking rate is

12.5% for U.S adults. Without a doubt, there is a misrepresentation and misinterpretation of

smoking in the world. In this paper, smoking will be exposed regarding how it is still one of the

top causes of preventable diseases.

Smoking started to become a trend, not just regular old-school cigarettes though, smoking

has become more “fun” by developing new smoking devices. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)

are devices that one holds just like a traditional cigar, but these are developed to produce vapor,

which could be flavored or non-flavored. “E-cigarettes are marketed via television and the

internet as healthier alternatives to tobacco smoking or for quitting smoking” (R. Grana et. Al

2022). Since the development of this new smoking device, the major media sources aimed to

target young people by showing that there is favorable vapor for these devices. This is just to

hide the taste and lie that these devices are safer and do not contain nicotine. “E-cigarettes were

introduced to the market in the mid-2000s, and the design of these products has evolved over

time” (B. P Jenssen et. al 2019). This new development started to change quickly, changing

names and designs. There are many different types of e-cigarettes such as disposable e-

cigarettes, rechargeable e-cigarettes, pen style, medium-sized rechargeable e-cigarettes, and tank

style, large-sized rechargeable e-cigarettes just to name a few. These flavors and these modified

styles are what encourage young people to start smoking. Regardless of these changes in style,

the nicotine and toxins are all still there.

 It is unfortunate that many of the people targeted and encouraged to use e-cigarettes are

not educated on what these devices contain. Since this product is supposed to deliver the vapor,

they produce an aerosol that contains nicotine. “Simulated e-cigarette use revealed that

individual puffs contained from 0 to 35 μg nicotine per puff” (R. Grana et. Al 2022). This shows

that this device might be an alternative to traditional cigarettes since it is shown to have less

nicotine. Although they are safer and are a healthier choice, they still contain nicotine. According

to the CDC article “About Electronic Cigarettes,” the e-cigarette aerosol contains other

substances such as “ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, flavoring such as

diacetyl (a chemical linked to serious lung disease), volatile organic compounds and heavy

metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.” This shows that even though the devices for smoking have

developed, the toxins are still present. While the media shows and markets this device with

favorable vapors and e-juice, they hide the truth about the chemicals added. The chemical

process of these devices starts at the mouthpiece while inhaling at the mouthpiece and allowing

for e-liquid. “e-liquid, generally contains PG or GL or both as the nicotine solvent, along with

water and favorable variants” (P. Wang et al. 2017). It is proven by various research that e-

cigarettes are not too safe after all. It is not about the flavor but about what toxins it contains, and

it is essential to teach the young community how to identify this.

After reviewing the hundreds of chemicals that people who smoke e-cigarettes are

inhaling into their bodies, it is important to speak about the health benefits that come along with

this. Smoking can be detrimental in shortening one’s lifespan. “Smoking is associated with 11 %

of cardiovascular deaths worldwide. Currently, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the

United States” (J. Espinoza-Derout et al. 2022). This shows that smoking is an important and

urgent health care issue. As mentioned before, e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional
cigarettes. Although, because of the flavoring in these devices, people tend to smoke more of it

increasing their risk of developing this disease, chest pain, and palpitations. “A study in

adolescents who smoke conventional cigarettes found that certain subgroups of smokers were

more likely to become addicted to nicotine” (J. M. Collaco 2017). The reason that this addiction

occurs is, again, the flavoring, the styles, and most importantly the amount young people smoke.

Most of the time, they smoke because of peer pressure, or because they want to look “cool” but

overall, the media is to blame for this behavior. “E-cigarettes can cause airway inflammation” (J.

M. Collaco 2017). The more a person smokes, the higher their risk is to develop lung diseases

and other complications. Even the people who are victims of secondhand smoke can develop

lung problems and this is because the smoke from e-cigarettes damages cells in the lungs.

According to the CDC’s article “Health effects on cigarette smoking”, smoking can also be

harmful to the reproduction system in both men and women. “Smoking can make it harder for

women to become pregnant” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This not only affects

the mothers but also the fetus as they can be born with low birth weight or even premature

babies. This can also cause the mother to have an ectopic pregnancy or a stillbirth. “Smoking can

affect men’s sperm, reduce fertility…” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). It is

important to keep in mind that even if there are no side effects of smoking, there will be long-

term effects that can damage oneself and can follow future generations.

In conclusion, smoking is not just affecting the older population as it used to but now,

more people are starting to smoke at a younger age. With social media normalizing smoking,

numbers of teens smoking, and diseases will be on the rise. The younger population needs to get

educated on the substance they are inhaling into their bodies because although it may seem like a

safer alternative, e-cigarettes still contain nicotine and other harmful substances. A major health
issue we see today is smoking in younger adults and the misrepresentation and misinterpretation

of smoking. While new smoking devices are being developed, and the media keeps normalizing

them, smoking will continue to be a major public health issue and the main cause of preventable

diseases. The question remains, what will public health do about this?
 References

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Collaco, J. M., Drummond, M. B., & McGrath-Morrow, S. A. (2015). Electronic cigarette use

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