Smoking, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 14, 2013

E-Cigarettes and Hookahs Rise in Teen Popularity

Unconventional smoking products such as electronic cigarettes and hookahs are becoming more popular among U.S. teens, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2012, 1.1 percent of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes, up from 0.6 percent in 2011. Among high school students,...

Nov 21, 2013

E-Cigarettes Just More Smoke and Mirrors, Doctors Say

At first, electronic cigarettes were a novelty — something a braggart in a bar might puff to challenge the established no-smoking policy, marveling bystanders with the fact that the smoke released from the device was merely harmless vapor. Now, e-cigarettes are poised to be a billion-dollar industry, claimed as the...

Jan 7, 2014

Smoking Rates Drop Globally, but Millions Still Light Up

Global rates of smoking are down, but because of population growth the number of people in the world who smoke is up, new research suggests. Worldwide, about 31 percent of men smoked in 2012, down from about 41 percent of men in 1980. Over the same period, the percentage of...

Feb 4, 2014

FDA Launches 1st Campaign Against Youth Smoking

The Food and Drug Administration is launching its first national campaign to prevent and reduce smoking among young people, the agency announced today. The Real Cost campaign, which includes posters and TV ads, is targeted to kids ages 12 to 17, and aims to reduce the number of teens who...

Feb 11, 2014

Kick the Habit: 10 Scientific Quit-Smoking Tips

Science-Proven Ways to Help You Quit Smoking (Image credit: Ashtray photo via Shutterstock)Smoking brings on a number of health risks, but quitting the habit can prove exceedingly difficult. Therefore, a great deal of research has looked into helping people stop the unhealthy behavior. Over time, researchers have found a number...

Feb 13, 2014

Quitting Smoking May Bring Mental Health Benefits

Quitting smoking is known to have benefits for physical health, including a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease, but a new study suggests that giving up the habit may improve mental health as well. In the study, researchers reviewed information from 26 previous studies, and found that people who...

Mar 6, 2014

E-Cigarettes Are 'Aggravating' Teen Smoking Epidemic, Study Suggests

Although e-cigarettes have been marketed as a way to help people quit smoking, a new study finds that teens who use the products often smoke regular cigarettes as well. In 2011 and 2012, about 50 percent of the U.S. teens who had used e-cigarettes in the past month were also...

Mar 24, 2014

E-Cigarettes May Not Help Smokers Quit

Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been marketed as a way to help people quit smoking, a new study finds no evidence to support this claim. In the study, smokers who said they used e-cigarettes in addition to regular cigarettes were no more likely to quit smoking a year later than...

Mar 31, 2014

Smoking Coffee: A Dumb New Trend?

Some people start their day with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. A few creative teenagers, however, have found a way to combine the two questionable habits into one time-saving act by smoking coffee. There are a handful of online videos showing teenagers rolling coffee beans or grounds into...

May 22, 2014

If Aired, Tobacco Truths Would Help Smokers Quit, Study Finds

Truthful statements about the health effects of cigarette smoking may come as a surprise to many smokers, a new study suggests. Smokers in the study were presented with statements about the dangers of smoking that a federal judge in 2006 ordered to be placed on cigarette packaging and ads, but...

Jun 2, 2014

4 Myths About E-Cigarettes

Advocates tout the e-cigarette as a clean alternative to old-fashioned tobacco, one that can even help people quit smoking. But although the companies making these largely unregulated products promote e-cigarettes as safe and pure, the reality is a little more complicated. Here are four common misconceptions about e-cigarettes, and the...

Jun 5, 2014

Smokers Say E-Cigs Are Just 'Cooler' than Other Inhalers

Nicotine inhalers, which are devices similar to electronic cigarettes, have existed for years, but they were just not cool enough to catch on, researchers say. Listed among the treatments used for helping smokers quit, nicotine inhalers were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997. The devices deliver...

Jul 11, 2014

Hookah Smoking: Teen Trend, or Cigarettes of the Century?

Although cigarette smoking isn't nearly as popular with teens in the United States as it was a decade ago, that doesn't mean teens don't smoke. A new study finds that a more exotic form of tobacco use, hookah smoking, is on the rise among U.S. teens. In fact, 18 percent...

Jul 16, 2014

Anti-Smoking Policies May Also Fight Suicide

Smoking is not only bad for physical health, it may also be bad for mental health, a new study suggests. Smoking cigarettes could increase the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and may even be linked with suicide, the research shows. In the study, researchers looked at the correlation between tobacco...

Aug 12, 2014

Deadly Explosions Added to List of E-Cigarette Dangers

Electronic cigarettes can cause deadly explosions if the wrong type of charger is used, according to recent news reports. This is just one of the unforeseen risks associated with smoking e-cigs, which is also sometimes called vaping. A 62-year-old Englishman died Friday (Aug. 8) after an incompatible charging device led...