Cause And Effect Essay On Smoking

In the United States, smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of morbidity and death (Bergen, 1999), and accounts for $300 Billion in health care costs and economic productivity loss (Jamal, 2015). While the national smoking rate is 16.8% (CDC, 2016), specific demographics are more susceptible to developing smoking habits: people who live below the poverty line (10.9% higher), disabled or with a limitation (6.2% higher), and males (4.7% higher) (Agaku, 2014).

One of my first memories in the United States was taking a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) class. I was in sixth grade and a top student, as talking about drugs and alcohol and the way they affect us was fascinating to me. This is why, the following year, I volunteered to become a peer educator in Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U). For a couple of years, I gave presentations to young students which included facts, demonstrations, and games, to spread the knowledge that tobacco is harmful and that staying away from smoking prolongs life expectancy and increases the quality of life. It should come as no surprise, then, that I consider myself a big proponent of staying tobacco-free and encouraging others to quit smoking as a great way to promote health. I remember watching my mom and sister as they took part in their nightly ritual of smoking a few cigarettes to unwind. “Did you know that a main component of cigarettes is used as rocket fuel?” I would ask them, as I opened the window and they stared back at me blankly. “We know, we know” was the answer every time. I knew that convincing them to quit was no easy task, but I was committed. Day after day, I proudly stated a new fact about the evils of smoking. Finally one day, they quit. At first, they attributed it to the cost. Since we had just immigrated to the United States, the cost of cigarettes was simply not something they could afford. I didn’t believe it. I proudly

It is estimated that half of all smokers die from diseases related to the consumption of tobacco and live an average of ten to fifteen years less than non-smokers.

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH, 2007; Richardson (2001) argued that manual groups are likely to smoke heavier than the managerial groups and stated likely reason for this such as food insecurity, substitute for food, social environment, segregation and pressure, lack of good health and lack of confidence. In addition to this, epidemiology statistics reported by Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC, 2013 and Wanless, 2004) stated that smoking is more prevalent among the lower socio-economic groups and known to be key part of the disparities in life expectation between manual and non-manual groups. Therefore it is important something is done to eradicate inequality in the health of the general population.

Regardless of consumer belief, smoking dramatically increases the chances of contracting many diseases - such as heart disease or high blood pressure. Although not every user experiences these diseases, it is well known that smoking can decrease one’s life time dramatically. The information given states, “It’s virtually impossible to escape the effects of tobacco” (Jordan). This stated, Jordan expresses that essentially if you use tobacco, there is a fairly high chance that one will damage his/her body in some way. Furthermore, there are many more diseases that can be contracted and the ones stated are only the most common. Continuing, the author explains the affects of smoking, “Expose to specific elements of secondhand smoke causes blood clot more easily and damages arterial lining” (Jordan). As stated, certain components in tobacco increase the chances of high blood pressure and blood clots to form in the body. Concluding, respiratory problems in young children can occur through second hand smoking, these include asthma. Children that asthma effect increases from smoke, “Asthma turns out to be about twice as common in children exposed to high levels of second hand smoke” (Secondhand Smoke: Is it a Hazard). Not only does tobacco smoke increase other diseases, it also increases the severity of diseases already contracted as shown in the previous quote. To conclude, tobacco smoke

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/copd/001/) is considered one of the most common causes of death in the world today and, it appears that most of the patients are active smokers. However, according to researchers, the pulmonary disease can affect everybody, not only people who smoke.

The evidence suggests that many smokers want to quit but can’t. In 2010 68.8% of smokers reported they would like to quit smoking entirely

In the U.S., only 20% of those at or above the poverty level smoke, compared with 30% of those below the poverty level (Hiscock, Bauld, Fidler, and Munafo, 2012). Teenage girls of families with lower SES are more likely to smoke (Hiscock et al, 2012). In addition, those with low SES are less likely to quit smoking successfully and may be less likely to intend or attempt to quit (Reid, Hammond, Boudreau, Fong, and Siahpush, 2010). Reid and coauthors surveyed over16,000 smokers in the US, UK, Canada and the United Kingdom and found that those with higher education were more likely to say they intend to quit smoking, attempt to quit and to be abstinent for between one and six months. Higher income was also associated with stated intention to quit and abstinence of at least one month (Reid et al, 2010). In addition, those with low SES

Smoking is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. The exposure to tobacco smoking negatively impacts the health of an individual over time by increasing the risks of developing diseases of the respiratory and circulatory systems (Ministry of Health, 2005). In particular, smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. With repeated exposure, inhalation of tobacco into the lungs causes a build up of tar, altering lung tissue (Cockerham, 2007; Marmot and Wilkinson, 2006). This direct use of tobacco accounts for the death of 5 million people around the world. In the United States, 444,000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking, were 13 years of life lost for a male smoker and 14.5 years lost for a female (Cockerham, 2007; WHO, 2012). In New Zealand, tobacco use is the main cause of preventable death, contributing to around 4600 deaths

Smoking cessation is the process of quitting tobacco smoking. Studies have shown that smoking is a preventable cause of death worldwide. The ability to quit tobacco has immediate and long term health benefits for all users. By quitting, there is a significant reduction from the risk of death that comes from tobacco-related diseases, most notably, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, difficulty breathing, or chronic obstructive airways disease, as well as tumors of the mouth, throat, esophagus, lungs and bladder. Other neoplastic and respiratory causes of death affect neonates and infants secondary to maternal smoking, cigarette-caused fires and second hand smoke.

Tobacco use is still very frequent, especially in low-income areas. Not only is it detrimental for the smokers themselves in terms of health, but also it harms those around them. Some health issues that occur are “lung cancer, heart disease, and colon cancer” (Haskins). For low income areas, smoking is one of the most leading causes of death, but it is a preventable cause. In order to help smokers to quit smoking, Haskin states that one suggestion is to raise the prices of tobacco and cigarettes, and another suggestion, especially for nonsmokers, is to have designated areas for smokers only and to have cities label certain public areas such as parks and common areas to be smoke-free zones. Because tobacco is addictive, receiving and seeking

In the community assessment of San Fernando valley part, A, it was mentioned that there are many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes and obesity that are caused by poor health management, high cost of healthcare and inadequate knowledge of the disease. One factor that could cause these chronic diseases is the Tobacco usage among adults. According to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) (2017), Smoking may cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and COPD which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

There are over 1.1 billion smokers in the world-- fifteen percent of the entire population. It is said that one in every three adults is a chronic smoker. Even in America, one of the most progressive countries in the world, forty-two million (about 12.5%) people smoke chronically. Given this astonishing number, it is no surprise that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, responsible for one in every five deaths. Only to add to that, more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking related disease. Since the 1960’s the United States government has attempted to curb these numbers as much as possible; from settling cases in the supreme court to passing new laws and regulations to counter the use of tobacco,

The effects of cigarette smoking can be horrifying. Smoking is dangerous not only to those who smoke, but to non-smokers and unborn children as well. Cigarette smoking is also physically and socially harming.

Cigarette smoking is something people all over the world have been doing for about 2000 years. Back in 2003, the first electronic cigarette was successfully created by a gentleman named Hon Lik. Lik was a 52 year old pharmacist at the time, whom of which was also a smoker. The inspiration behind making the electronic cigarette came after Lik’s father passed away from lung cancer due to him also being a heavy smoker. “A Historical Timeline of Electronic Cigarettes.” cassia.org. Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association, 15 June 2017. The idea behind creating this device was to give smokers a way to still ingest nicotine, the most addictive chemical in tobacco cigarettes, without the countless negative health effects that