Survey links teen smoking to unsafe acts

Monday, Jan. 26, 1998 | 10:46 a.m.

Cigarettes, not money, is the root of evil.

At least they appear to be for Nevada high school students, according to a survey released Saturday at a state Board of Education meeting.

A large percentage of students who smoke also engage in behavior that puts their health at risk, according to Robinette Bacon, a consultant who helped prepare the 1997 Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report.

"Smoking seems to be the starting (place) for most at-risk behavior," Bacon told the board members during their two-day session at Walter E. Jacobson Elementary School Las Vegas.

Students who smoke are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, fight at school, carry weapons at school, consider suicide, drive under the influence of alcohol and be sexually active.

The survey, which is done every other year, involved the questioning of 2,356 high-school students in 73 public schools across the state to arrive at general information about certain aspects of the students' behavior.

Six categories of risky behavior were identified for the survey: tobacco use, behavior that results in injury, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behavior, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity.

The Nevada Department of Education conducted the survey as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

Board President David Shef-field said he is concerned about some of the facts turned up in the survey, such as the use of tobacco and alcohol on school property.

"I have a problem with 38 percent of the students having used drugs on campus," Sheffield said. "In the next survey (in 1999), see if we can have some kind of report on what the school districts are doing in response to this information. Some of these things are unacceptable."

The survey had good and bad news.

Good news, meaning goals set after the last survey were attained, surpassed, or are at least showing progress, include: a 24 percent decline in physical fighting, a 24 percent decline in suicide attempts, HIV/AIDS education has reached 91 percent of the students, 57 percent of the students exercise regularly, seat-belt and bicycle-helmet use has increased, there have been decreases in the numbers of students riding with drivers under the influence of alcohol and the numbers carrying weapons, and tobacco use is declining.

The bad news includes: increased use of alcohol and marijuana on school property, more students are being approached about drugs on school property, use of cocaine has increased, and more students are having unprotected sex. Tobacco continues to play a significant role in students' lives as well.

According to the survey:

* 69 percent of the students have tried smoking and 15 percent smoke regularly.

* 23 percent of the students smoked a whole cigarette for the first time before the age of 13.

* 41 percent of the students who bought cigarettes in a store in the past 30 days prior to the survey were not asked to show proof of age.

* 10 percent of the students, including 16 percent of the males and 2 percent of the females, used chewing tobacco or snuff in the past 30 days prior to the survey.

* 47 percent of the students have had sexual intercourse at least once.

* 16 percent of the sexually active students did not practice safe sex.