Tobacco advertising that targets teens is putting half-a-billion young Asians at risk for tobacco-related diseases, says the Asia-Pacific director of the World Health Organization.

In a statement issued on the eve of the WHO-designated "World No Tobacco Day," Shigeru Omi said the tobacco industry's marketing efforts aim to persuade half-a-billion young people in the Western Pacific to try their first cigarette, Agence France-Presse reported.

"Youngsters are led to believe that certain types of cigarettes do not contain nicotine, when in fact they do," Omi said.

WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- The increasing use of waterpipes, or hookahs, by U.S. college students could become a serious public health problem, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University study.

Younger women, those with lower educational attainment and women who received Medicaid benefits were more likely to report postpartum depression, according to the CDC.

Women from 17 states were surveyed in 2004 and 2005. The report indicates that women in abusive relationships and those who used tobacco had higher rates of postpartum depression as well.

By Serena Gordon
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Secondhand smoke causes signs of cardiovascular damage in children, especially the very youngest, new research contends.