Public health spotlight on tobacco use (original) (raw)

Tobacco Smoking: Patterns, Health Consequencesfor Adults, and the Long-term Health of the Offspring

Global Journal of Health Science, 2012

Tobacco use started several centuries ago and increased markedly after the invention of the cigarette making machine. Once people start smoking they find it difficult to quit the habit. This is due to the addictive effect of nicotine in tobacco smoke. Various epidemiologic and laboratory studies clearly showed that smoking is associated with various diseases such as heart diseases, asthma and emphysema and the associated increase in morbidity and mortality of smokers. Several studies implicate nicotine as the causative factor in tobacco smoke. Apart from nicotine, various carcinogens also occur in tobacco smoke resulting in an increase in the incidence of cancer in smokers. While the smoking habit is decreasing in developed countries, tobacco use increases in the developing countries. Smoking prevalence is also highest in poor communities and amongst those with low education levels. It is important to note that, although ther is a decline in the number of smokers in the developed countries, there is a three to four decades lag between the peak in smoking prevalence and the subsequent peak in smoking related mortality. It has been shown that maternal smoking induces respiratory diseases in the offspring. There is also evidence that parental smoking may program the offspring to develop certain diseases later in life. Various studies showed that maternal nicotine exposure during pregnancy and lactation via tobacco smoke of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), program the offspring to develop compromised lung structure later in life with the consequent compromised lung function. This implies that NRT is not an option to assist pregnant or lactating smokers to quit the habit. Even paternal smoking may have an adverse effect on the health of the offspring since it has been shown that 2 nd and 3 rd hand smoking have adverse health consequences for those exposed to it.

Smoking habit of children and adolescents: an overview

Annals of Research Hospitals, 2017

Smoking represents one of the largest public health problems due to its detrimental effects on multiple organs of the human body and its association with a variety of chronic and/or lethal diseases. Most smokers start smoking in their youth when growth has not been yet completed and they are more susceptible to the harmful components of tobacco. Purpose of this review was to present current data about the extent of tobacco use in childhood and adolescence, the situations facilitating smoking initiation at an early age and the available policies aiming to prevent early age smoking and to promote smoking cessation in non-adult individuals. Data were collected from the international PubMed database and through research in Google Scholar. Smoking rates among children and adolescents are alarming. Health care specialists should be aware of the real reasons leading to early age smoking, which are mainly the influence of family and its economic status, social life and internet. However, psychological reasons contribute also to early smoking initiation. Interventions in these fields should be achieved in order to prevent children and adolescents from smoking. For those who unfortunately smoke many smoking cessation programs exist worldwide and can help young people to quit smoking. However their results are often controversial. The significant increase of smoking among children and adolescents should be dealt with well-designed national smoking prevention and cessation programs after analyzing thoroughly the causes of young people smoking initiation. Both of these programs, but mainly the one aiming to the prevention part, should be practiced with the cooperation of all social parts, while school should have a central role.

Age of First Use of Cigarettes Among Rural and Small Town Elementary School Children in Illinois

Journal of School Health, 1999

People 201 0' outlines 25 objectives related to H prevention and reduction of tobacco use. One major objective seeks to increase by at least one year the age of first use of tobacco by adolescents. Reduction of tobacco use represents a worthy objective because both the scientific and lay communities know that tobacco use contributes to many forms of cancer (eg, lung, larynx, esophagus, bladder), heart disease, and pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and spontaneous abortion. Tobacco causes more than 400,000 deaths per year in the United States, and direct medical costs related to smoking exceed $50 billion per year.' Preventing youth from beginning to smoke. and helping those people who smoke to quit, makes sense from a health and quality of life perspective, as well as a cost-benefit perspective. An estimated 3 million US adolescents currently smoke, and another 1 million adolescents will begin to smoke each year. These new smokers represent the beginning of the cycle that produces 400,000 smoking-related deaths each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? reports an additional 50,000 nonsmokers die from exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Smoking-related deaths total more than the combined total of deaths due to AIDS, vehicular crashes, alcohol, homicide, illegal drugs, suicides, and fires.' Considerable evidence indicates that health problems associated with smoking are a function of duration and intensity of use. The younger one begins to smoke, the more likely one will smoke as an adult. Earlier onset is also

American Legacy Foundation, First Look Report 15. Beyond Cigarettes: The Use of Other Tobacco

Info: Surveys and …, 2005

In the United States, more than 4 million youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home. The vast majority of this exposure is a result of parental smoking in the home. This report presents information about youth exposure to secondhand smoke, with special focus on exposure in the home. It explores prevalence of household restrictions on smoking, which can reduce secondhand smoke exposure. Finally, the report takes a brief look at what adults know about the effect of secondhand smoke on children.

The Silent Epidemic - Tobacco Use Among Adolescents: Prevention and cessation strategies

International Journal of Contemporary Dentistry, 2011

Adolescence has traditionally been viewed as a time of optimal health. 1 But the ever rising menace of vices such as use of tobacco products has become a leading cause of otherwise preventable illness and death around the world 2-5. There is a clear dose-response relationship with Tobacco usage. 6 In addition to being associated with a number of cancers and coronary conditions, tobacco is a primary risk factor for oral cancer as well as leukoplakia, periodontitis and delayed wound healing. 2, 3, 4,7,8,9 Smoking is also a casual factor in the development of Stomatitis nicotina, gingival bleeding, Gingival recession, Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG), increased dental calculus formation, halitosis and dental staining. In addition to these health problems, tobacco use is responsible for 20 to 25% of deaths in the developed world. Based on current patterns, smoking will kill about 650 million people alive in the world today and if these patterns continue, tobacco caused deaths worldwide are expected to reach about 10 million per

Worldwide Never-Smoking Youth Susceptibility to Smoking

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2014

To estimate susceptibility to smoking among never-smoking youth globally and identify factors associated with such behavior. Methods: Cross-sectional data for 168 countries were obtained from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. Frequencies and proportions for descriptive statistics, and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for logistic regression models were reported. Results: Approximately 12.5% of never-smoking youth worldwide were susceptible to smoking worldwide, of which 7.2% were males and 5.3% were females. Compared with youth in the Americas, those in other WHO regions were associated with decreased susceptibility to smoking. Regardless of gender, exposure to parental or peer smoking, secondhand smoke inside or outside home, and tobacco industry promotion was associated with increased smoking susceptibility. In contrast, support for smoke-free policies and school antismoking education was associated with decreased susceptibility to smoking among females. Moreover, exposure to antismoking media messages was associated with increased susceptibility to smoking among never-smoking youth. Conclusions: Approximately 1 in 8 never-smoking youth worldwide was found to be susceptible to smoking. A comprehensive approach involving parental and peer education, smoke-free policies, ban on tobacco advertising and promotions, and antismoking education in schools should be developed by policy makers and public health professionals to protect never-smoking youth from being susceptible to smoking and transforming into future regular smokers.