Is smoking cool? New research reveals shocking truth about teen smokers and COPD

Young teens might think smoking makes them look cool, but it could leave them struggling to breathe later in life, according to a new study. Kids who start smoking before age 15 are 27% more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as adults compared to those who start smoking later, researchers reported in the journal Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation . “Our study shows that people who smoked during childhood have a higher risk of developing COPD, regardless of their current smoking status, how long they smoked, how many cigarettes they smoked, or their exposure to secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Laura Paulin, a pulmonologist at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, in a university news release. COPD is a chronic lung disease that makes it harder to breathe over time. There is no cure, and the condition progressively worsens. Previous studies have shown that COPD is more common in individuals who started smoking before age 15. This new research aimed to explore whether childhood smoking independently increases COPD risk, even after considering factors like smoking history and exposure to secondhand smoke. Researchers analyzed data from over 10,100 participants in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study, a federal research project on smoking’s health effects. The study found that about 29% of people who started smoking before age 15 developed COPD, compared to 21% of those who began smoking at 15 or older and just under 8% of people who never smoked. Childhood smokers were also more likely to currently smoke, had smoked for longer periods, and had higher exposure to secondhand smoke. Even after accounting for these factors, the increased COPD risk for childhood smokers remained. “Children’s lungs are particularly vulnerable to damage from smoking because critical lung development happens during childhood and early adolescence,” Paulin said. “These findings highlight the need for stronger public health efforts to reduce and ultimately prevent smoking in children.”