Effects Of Reducing Cigarette Smoking In America

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

Most often seniors in high schools can purchase cigarettes because they are 18, so they distribute them to underclassmen or friends. Nearly 21 percent of high schoolers in public schools smoke cigarettes, which would be about 3.13 million students (Preidt). My survey shows that only four percent, or two out of 49 people admit their addiction to cigarettes. The two students admitted that stress is their reasoning for why they began smoking and continue, but only one has support to end their need to smoke. While the student with assistance is continuing to smoke, they are attempting to stop; however, the effects of smoking are obviously severe (lung disease, cancer, bronchitis, etc.) and cannot continue. Cigarettes may be a partial stress reliever although the permanent and long-term effects should be proof enough that this addiction is a necessity to prevent in our high schoolers even if it is four

Many drugs are used, misused, and abused in American society today. Some of these carry stigma in the general population, forcing users into an underground drug subculture. Others are accepted and almost promoted under certain circumstances. Tobacco is one of those drugs. Tobacco will be discussed in the context of cigarette smoking. This is not to undermine the existence or danger of other forms of tobacco, but instead to have an exhaustive discussion of cigarette smoking and its societal impact. Cigarettes are a means of inhaling tobacco, where it enters the lungs and is absorbed through the blood vessels, traveling to the heart, from which it is finally pumped to the brain (Hogan, Gabrielsen, Luna, and Grothaus 2003:76). Cigarettes are detrimental to society because they not only affect the user who chooses to smoke; they impact people around them through second-hand and residual smoke. The damage done by cigarettes is not impossible to address. Successful prevention measures are already in place, but this paper intends to suggest other more direct measures, especially related to statutory regulations.

The Institute of Medicine found that children, who are born between 2000 and 2019, would suffer 249,000 fewer premature deaths and 45,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer, when the legal age to purchase tobacco is increased from 18 to 21 years old (atg.wa.gov 2016). Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S, which causes many chronic health complications such as heart disease, cancer, and lung disease (atg.wa.gov 2016). Raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21 in Washington state will decrease the use later in adult life specifically, ages 15 to 17 who are targeted the most through tobacco companies due to their vulnerability and gives loyalty to a specific tobacco company from the addiction of nicotine. Needham, Massachusetts campaigned to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 in 2005 and won. Results are already compelling, showing that between 2006 and 2012 Needham’s high school smoking rate dropped more than half among girls and boys (atg.wa.gov 2016). Given that nicotine can be such an addictive drug and be seen to be used as a coping mechanism, specifically ages 15 to 17 through their developing stages of life, needs to encounter harder access to get their hands on tobacco products. According to the Center of Disease Control, one in 13 Americans age 17 or younger alive today are estimated to die prematurely due to the effects of smoking (atg.wa.gov 2016). Raising the legal age to

Air It Out is a tobacco intervention program specifically designed to promote smoking cessation and smoking prevention among adolescents aged 11 to 18 regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or place of residence within the U.S. (e.g. suburban, urban, inner city, etc.). Until recently, speaking out against smoking carried zero authority given smoking was a personal habit that began in adolescence, a habit that continued until December 2015 when diagnosed with cancer. Now with two rounds of chemotherapy behind me and another scheduled for later this month, the issue of adolescent smoking is one, which I can now stand behind. Unfortunately, it takes the manifestation of a tragic and core-shattering experience to forever changes one’s perception because once it becomes personal, we transform from silent participant to that of an activist. Examples supporting this hypothesis include Christopher Reeve’s who became an activist for paralysis only after suffering his injury, Michael J. Fox, who after his diagnosis became an advocate for Parkinson’s, and Elizabeth Taylor, who became a fearless activist for AIDS after the death of her beloved friend Rock Hudson.

In the lifetime of most, cigarette smoking is common occurrence noticed as you go throughout your community. In the medical setting, hospital professions see the disabling effects caused by smoking. Being a change agent in your society is necessary for enhancing the well-being of others through each community. Healthy People 2020 creates a goal to “reduce illness, disability, and death related to tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure” (2017) Seeing the effects of smoking in the medical setting it motivates professionals to educate our patients’ on smoking cessation. For the topic of this research, our group was motivated by understanding how well our education paid off and whether we were able to find more control in smoking

The table that was chosen from Health United States, 2014 report, was on the following determinant of health: “Current cigarette smoking among adults age 18 and over, by sex (female), race and age; United States, selected years 1965-2013”; this table (below) was listed as table 52 on the report, found on page 182. Using the data from the selected table, a specific health problem that should be the focus of one research subject in public health is cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking is a specific health problem because the table, shows the trend of cigarette smoking (with some variation), on the decline for all categories for females (race and age) as years progress. The problem of cigarette smoking still needs to be addressed

For years cigarettes have been known to cause cancer, emphysema, and other horrible illnesses. The deaths of over 420,000 Americans this year will be attributable to cigarettes. With some of the other causes of preventable deaths such as, alcohol, illegal drugs, AIDS, suicide, transportation accidents, fires, and guns, cigarettes still account for more preventable deaths than those do combined, as stated by Lonnie Bristow M.D. of the American Medical Association at her speech to Indiana University. Some researchers have also found that smoking by pregnant women causes the deaths of over 5,000 babies and 115,000 miscarriages. The best way to get rid of the suffering and loss of life by cigarettes is to ban them. We can no longer stand aside and watch fellow Americans die because they smoke cigarettes. Thousands of smokers try to rid

In 1979, the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth used the Peabody Individual Achievement Test to show that children born to smoking mother’s had an IQ that was on average, 2.87 points lower than other children. This study was not respected until the 1990’s when there were several efforts by both the United States Congress and the U.S Food and Drug Administration to protect youth from cigarettes. Prior to this, Americans tried to deny the fact that tobacco was harmful due to the glorification of the product as well as how frequently it was used in pop culture. However, in the last decade attention has shifted to secondhand smoke awareness. Although the ability to purchase the products has been revoked for children, it is still legal for their parents to do so. This secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous, especially for children. That being said, we should start to eradicate tobacco around them.

The online research toolkit explains the rationale behind focusing on tobacco cessation to promote health and well-being of the community. Previous research by the New York State showed that tobacco addiction is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and cigarette use alone causes about 25.000 deaths in the state (New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program Project Toolkit). The toolkit also describes how tobacco use can increase the risk of developing diseases such as lung and oral cancer, heart disease, stroke and COPD. Some of the proponents of tobacco use cessation strengthen their argument

Smoking is established as a recognized cause of cancer, lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke(US Public Health Service,1964,Doll R 1976,1994, US Department of Health and Human Services,1989).it is considered to be the single most important avoidable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the world. WHO has estimated that there are about 1100 million smokers worldwide; this represents about one-third of the global population aged over 15 years (WHO,1997). About 73% of these smokers (700 million males, 100 million females) are in developing countries; in industrialized countries there are 200 million male smokers and 100 million female smokers. In the over 15-year-old population of developing countries, it is estimated that about 48% of males and 7% of females are smokers. The corresponding figures for industrialized countries are 42% for males and 24% for females (WHO,1997).

Tobacco industries are industries that deal with production of tobacco related products for example cigarettes while ant-smoking campaigns are the activities and rally that the tobacco industries and other institutions or organization employ to oppose or curb smoking globally, example public education. The rate of smoking globally is on the rise if the current data is to go by the youths will be the most affected compared to adults, this trend is worrying and leaves us with many questions than answers concerning the future of the nations. Smoking has been identified as one of the main challenge affecting people specifically youths globally. This is because smoking has very many effects to human life which includes the following health,

More than 480,000 people smoke every day and over 16 million people suffer from smoking related illnesses. For every dead smoker, at least thirty people live with a smoking related illness. Worldwide, tobacco use causes nearly six million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than eight million deaths annually by the year 2030. On average, smokers dies ten years earlier than nonsmokers and if smoking continue at the current rate among U.S. youth, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 years of age are expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. This represents about one in every thirteen Americans aged 17 years or younger who are alive today.

Since the initial onset of using tobacco products such as cigarettes, Americans have been infatuated with products that give them a sense of calm or relaxation during stressful situations. Many rely on the act of smoking cigarettes to get those outcomes. Unfortunately, regardless of health hazards to oneself and those around them, there is still a very popular and high demand for consumption of cigarettes. With the threat of more Americans becoming ill or even expired due to the consumption of tobacco, the government’s strategy is aimed at