Why do gay teenagers smoke more than their non-gay peers? How are tobacco companies targeting the LGBT community, and what are we doing to fight back? Tune in to the Out in the Bay radio program tonight at 7pm on KALW 91.7 FM or www.kalw.org. Brian Davis of BUTT OUT! will discuss these and other questions important to our community’s health.
A prominent topic of discussion will be the problem of LGBTQ youth smoking. Smoking is a pervasive problem among LGBTQ youths. Existing research indicates the rate of smoking among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) youths exceeds the general population’s. LGBTQ young adults (18-24 years old) smoke at a 43.7% rate compared to 16.6% of all young adults. LGBTQ high school youth in the San Francisco Unified School District smoke at a 22% rate compared to a 7% rate for non-LGBTQ youth.
There are a number of reasons for the increased rate in smoking including stress, habitual substance abuse, socializing in smoky venues, and tobacco marketing.
A 16 year-old Caucasian/African American lesbian interviewed in a recent study described some of the tensions involved in being queer and in picking up smoking:
Something about being gay or questioning—it
messes with your head. … And the next thing you know, you
are just looking for something to get your mind
off it—even if it is just for a minute…. Maybe I’ll
just smoke a cigarette. Especially when you start
it, you get a buzz; and it is just something to keep
your mind off everything for a little while.
There is a need for culturally specific approaches to prevention and cessation. Highlighting the positive attributes of nonsmokers and nonsmoking might prove useful in prevention campaigns.
Listen in tonight and learn more about the problem and possible solutions!
LGBTQ and 18-24 Years Old? Youth Tobacco Survey Needs Your Help!
Queer and 18-24 with a view about LGBT smoking? Take the NYAC tobacco survey before its too late to win a gift card! The National Youth Advocacy Coalition wants to know about LGBTQ youth experiences and feelings about tobacco. Participation in the survey enters the participant in a drawing for an American Express Gift Card: 10 cards worth $50, 5 cards worth $100 and 1 card worth $150. Visit www.tobaccosurvey.nyacyouth.org for more details, to fill out the survey, and to enter to win the big prizes! Hurry now – the survey ends February 28.
Keep track of the work Butt Out is doing by going to our website (www.butt-out.org/), friending us on Facebook (butt-outsanfrancisco) or by connecting with us on Twitter (twitter.com/buttoutsf).Butt Out is a project of Breathe California, funded by the San Francisco Tobacco Free Project, which works to get tobacco money out of LGBT community organizations in San Francisco. We also educate the public about the hazards of smoking and about smoking cessation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment