Smoking of cigarette is the principal avoidable cause of ailments and mortality in the United States. Regardless of the widespread advertisement, campaigns, and knowledge of the harmful health effects of smoking, many youth try out smoking, and a number of them advance from experimentation to habitual smokers. Majority of the smokers experiment with tobacco early in life usually before they are eighteen years and the habit grows as they advance into adolescence years. Many factors have been associated with the smoking habits among adolescents; in this study, the connection linking smoking to physical activities is studied. The research shows existent of a coherent negative association between physical activity and smoking of cigarettes, suggesting that teenagers who take part in greater levels of physical activity have a lower likelihood of smoking or smoke smaller number cigarettes (Audrain-McGovern, Rodriguez & Moss 1121). Further, the study shows that increased involvement in sports during high school highly reduces the probability of the students' becoming regular or heavy smokers. Likewise, teenagers who did not smoke in the last one month were more likely to take part in hard physical activities than their colleagues who had smoked in the same duration.

The study was carried out over four years among high-school students in five public schools. The study evaluated increase in the pattern of smoking behavior and physical activity as well as other factors that have effect on progression of smoking such as race, sex, depression, and partaking of physical education class in freshman. The cohort study was done on the students in the ninth grade with subsequent resurveying until the finish of the twelfth grade. The data analysis was done using latent growth model (LGM). This is an exceptional structural equation modeling that analyses individual development curves, trends, and levels (i.e. latent variables) that are projected to cause the increase in some observed variables (i.e. smoking level) over time (Audrain-McGovern, Rodriguez, & Moss 1122 - 1125).

Outcomes of the study show that participation in physical activities had an express and depressing outcome on smoking progression. This means that activities such as playing basketball, cycling, vigorous walking, and running, as well as, body toning activities such as aerobics and body building training, and participation in team sports, safeguard against progression of smoking. Gender, race, and depression were also shown to contribute to smoking but to a lesser degree. Data indicated a general rise in cigarette smoking from ninth through to eleventh grade; simultaneously, there was a gradual decrease in participation in physical activities. I agree with the findings of this study because as many adolescents get accustomed to the school life, they make new friends and fall into the perils of peer influence and experimentation.  Additionally, the stress and pressures increase and the teenagers may turn out to smoking as a way to deal with life.

Physical activities may provide protection against development of smoking behavior in many ways. They help to improve and manage depression and improve moods; a factor that has been shown to increase the risk of smoking greatly. It also helps to keep the adolescents busy which greatly reduce idleness, and likelihood of association with groups that are likely to influence and pressure the adolescents into smoking habits. These activities also act as a source of motivation for the youth. In conclusion, it is important to consider the vital role physical activities in addressing the growing problem of cigarette smoking among the adolescents.

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