Short- and Long-term Effects of Tobacco Use on Health and Physical Fitness

Unlike cancer and heart disease which may take many years to develop, the effects of smoking on the respiratory system can occur within a year or two of taking up smoking. The Royal College of Physicians report, Smoking and the Young, notes that of studies covering more than 50,000 subjects in the 10-20 year age range, nearly every report has been able to demonstrate increases in the rates of cough, sputum, wheeze and shortness of breath among smokers, usually of the order of between two and six times the non-smoking rate.

Young smokers are also at increased risk of acute bronchitis. A ten-year study in Sydney, Australia, found more episodes of bronchitis in smoking children, particularly among girls. Another study of 2,885 young people, 12-13 years old, found that minor ailments and time off from school were greater in smokers.