NEWSFLASH Smoking is bad for you. Is this a shocking piece of information? Not in this day and age. The American public is constantly bombarded with anti-smoking messages, many of which are even provided by the tobacco companies. While there is some indication that the campaign has been effective overall, the positive results of these efforts have leveled off in recent years and approximately 48 million Americans are still smokers.

The addictive nature of nicotine has been well documented, so it comes as no surprise that once youve established the habit, its a tough one to kick. The key is to intercept would-be smokers at a young age since it is estimated that about 90 percent of smokers begin the nasty habit before they reach 21. 90 PERCENT! What are we doing wrong here? There are countless anti-smoking school campaigns, laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors, yet still nearly 6,000 children under 18 start smoking each and every day.

Most kids can tell you that smoking isnt good, that it poses a serious health threat and can cause cancer. But staring across the present day classroom, its immediately evident that health issues for todays American children are far-reaching. In fact, about one out of every three of those children is overweight or obese. So despite the rehearsed promises and robotic proclamations of rhetoric that has been fed to them, obviously these kids today dont understand the greater significance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Smoking is the leading cause of avoidable death in the United State with over 400,000 Americans dying every year from some type of smoking-related disease. If the current trends continue, an estimated 6.4 million US children will suffer premature death from a tobacco-related illness. Not to be outdone, obesity is rapidly approaching epidemic proportions, threatening to overtake smoking as the number one preventable killer of Americans. It is projected that obesity may shorten the average life expectancy of the next generation by as much as two to five years.

Putting these two factors together seems a guaranteed recipe for disaster. With heart disease as the leading cause of death in America, and increased risk factors for both smokers and obese people, it seems children in the US may be unwittingly eating and smoking their way to a heart attack.

While it is true that smoking by itself has not been proven to directly cause high blood pressure, smoking and hypertension are a deadly combination that can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Weight problems and smoking then form an interconnected relationship. Obesity leads to high blood pressure. Smoking exacerbates high blood pressure. A Person faces greater danger of suffering a heart attack. In some instances, the formula may really be that simple. Looking at the millions of underage smokers suffering from weight issues, it seems our nation is inevitably headed in this direction.

To make matters even worse, it is a commonly held belief that smoking helps maintain a lower weight. An increasing number of teenagers, conscious of their weight, are turning to cigarettes in an attempt to diet. Not only has it proven to be an ineffective tool in their weight struggles, but now these same youngsters face even greater odds for stroke and heart attack with the introduction of a nicotine habit.

As a society, it is paramount that good examples are set. More than 60% of American adults struggle with their weight. 23% of US adults smoke. We cannot tell our children to live a healthy life as we puff on a cigarette pulling into the McDonalds Drive Thru. A major overhaul seems in order. The focus should not just be on not smoking, or in simply eating better, but in making sensible, healthy decisions overall. Concentrating on only one issue, while ignoring another, is akin to treating a symptom rather than a disease a disease that can no longer be ignored and cannot be left untreated.