Weight fears of teenage smokers

TEENAGE girls desperate to keep their weight down may be leaving themselves open to a greater health risk – because they can’t kick the cigarettes.

Now a York doctor has sent out an appeal for youngsters whose believe their smoking habit will stop them from over-eating to stub out their potentially more damaging use of tobacco.

It comes after a new study by the government’s food watchdog the Food Standards Agency (FSA) revealed girls in their teens eat more unhealthily than anybody else, shunning the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables and missing out on vital nutrients.

Dr David Fair, of the Jorvik Medical Practice, said one of the problems he and other GPs had encountered as they tried to steer teenagers towards a healthier lifestyle was that they believed stopping smoking would cause them to gain weight.

He also believes teenagers need to be more aware of the problems they may be storing up for the future by not taking enough notice of their health.

“I’ve seen young girls smoking in place of eating healthily because they see cigarettes as an antidote to obesity, but this only exacerbates their potential long-term health problems,” he said. “It’s quite common for people to put weight on when they stop smoking because cigarettes have the effect of reducing a person’s appetite and taking away food cravings. Sometimes, they are also cheaper than food.

“This can be more of an issue with older people who are already overweight, but there is a balance – which is quite difficult to strike – and my advice is that it is better to stop smoking than to put a bit of extra weight on. It will still result in them being fitter and happier.”

Dr Fair also believes one of the barriers to the healthy-eating message is youngsters choosing fast-food restaurants – which he says “don’t seem to have suffered in the financial crisis” – ahead of healthier alternatives. He said: “They may be choosing this ahead of physical exercise because, again, it is cheaper than paying membership fees and buying sports kit. It’s inevitable that part of being an adolescent is that thinking about your life and health when you get older is not part of the mindset. That’s not necessarily a medical observation, but perhaps something I remember from being that age.”