Abstract: . . .  smoking during the past month and 17.9% were frequent smokers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999). It is important to note that prevalence of smoking among high school youths in Connecticut is unacceptably high and increases in prevalence rates between grades 9 and 12 have been noted such that Page 31 25 26.7% smoked in grade 9 and 45.1% smoked in grade 12 (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2000). Non-smokers are also at risk from exposure to environmental or second hand smoke. Environmental smoke is the smoke that is given off between puffs and that are exhaled by the smoker. When individuals are exposed to environmental smoke they absorb carcinogens similar to smokers (American Public Health Association, 1998). In 1993, . . .
. . .  smokers (American Public Health Association, 1998). In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared second hand smoke a human carcinogen ( cancer causing agent) that contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds. These chemicals can result in cancer and other chronic conditions for the exposed non-smoker. Each year approximately 3,000 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing the smoke of other’s cigarettes (American Public Health Association, 1998, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1993). Nutrition and diet are also external, modifiable risk factors. Scientific studies have shown an association between nutrition and diet and at least one-third of  . . .
. . .  and ethnicity. As the graph demonstrates, Hispanics had higher rates of smoking prevalence as compared with blacks, Asian/Pacific Islanders and whites (30.7, 26.9, 23.2 vs. 20.9%). Graph 16 Prevalence of cigarette smoking among Connecticut youths in grades 9 through 12 is high; 35.2% reported smoking during the past month and 17.9% were frequent smokers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999). It is important to note that prevalence of smoking among high school youths in Connecticut is unacceptably high and increases in prevalence rates between grades 9 and 12 have been noted such that Page 31 25 26.7% smoked in grade 9 and 45.1% smoked in grade 12 (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2000). Non-smokers are also at risk from exposure . . .
. . .  individuals , is sometimes called the prevention paradox (Rose, 1985). For instance, increasing the physical activity level of everyone in the population by a relatively small amount will likely have a larger effect on reducing population incidence of colon cancer than would a larger increase in activity among only the most sedentary in the population. Thus, a widespread cancer plan that targets population level barriers to healthy behaviors and that will be integrated into the social environment through health care organizations and providers, state and federal government, industry, and local communities is proposed (Richmond & Kotelchuck, 1984). The role of health care organizations and providers in cancer prevention and early detection involves . . .
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