(1) fitness routines may keep teenagers away from smoking.
for teenagers struggling to quit smoking, a new study has some advice. to break the habit, try
breaking a sweat. it showed that teenage boys who took part in a smoking cessation program
and combined it with exercise were several times less likely to continue smoking than those
who received only traditional anti-smoking advice. exercise did not have a comparable effect
on teenage girls; researchers aren’t sure why. but the research is among the first to show that
an exercise plan for teenage smokers can them kick two bad habits at once, smoking and
inactivity, which often go hand in hand.
(2) for young smokers, breaking the habit before adulthood can be particularly crucial. studies
show that starting as a teenager makes it much more difficult to quit later on. about 80 percent
of adult smokers began their habit before turning 18. yet every day, 3,500 teenagers light their
first cigarette.
(3) the new study, published this week in the journal pediatrics, took place in a state with one
of the worst teen tobacco problems, west virginia, where roughly a third of all high school
students are smokers. previous studies have shown that in adults, exercise — even if it’s just
a walk around the block or lifting some weights — can curb smoking by easing withdrawal
symptoms and controlling cravings when people are confronted with cigarettes and other
strong cues. since west virginia also suffers high rates of teenage obesity, the researchers
wanted to see what effect exercise could have in combating two major health threats.
(4) “it seemed logical to address these two together,” said kimberly horn, a professor of
community medicine at west virginia university and the lead author of the paper. “exercise
is known to mediate factors that often co-occur with smoking cessation, like increased stress
levels, weight gain, withdrawal and cravings.”
(5) after three months, the study found that only 5 percent of the students who got the single
anti-smoking session had quit smoking. but almost twice as many who went through the
10-week program had quit. when exercise was added to the mix, the effect on boys was
remarkable: 24 percent of male students in the exercise group quit smoking, while only about
8 percent in the 10-week program that did not encourage exercise had stopped. they were
also more likely to have stayed away from cigarettes after six months as well. the teenage
girls in the exercise group, though, were no more likely to have quit smoking than those who
received only counseling on quitting smoking.
(6) “one of the important things to point out is that oftentimes people believe that kids aren’t
interested in quitting smoking,” she said. “i think this demonstrates that kids can quit, they’re
interested in quitting and they can be successful, given the right tools.”
english i: reading: module 5: lesson 2: section 4
distinguishing between summary and critique
your turn: chunking, summarizing, and critiquing
instructions: read the following article. then go back and chunk it, keeping in mind that each chunk
should focus on one main idea. when you are finished, write a summary and critique of the article. click
the sample response button to read one writer’s summary and critique.
exercise spurs teenage boys to stop smoking
by anahad o’connor, september 20, 2011, new york times
© 2012 texas education agency/ the university of texas system. all rights reserved.
english i: reading: module 5: lesson 2: section 4
your turn: chunking, summarizing, and critiquing (continued, page 2)
using your chunks to aid you, write a brief summary of the article "exercise spurs teenage boys to stop
smoking" in the space provided below.