The Negative Effects Of Smoking In The United States Military

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).

Although it remains a large portion of the U.S’ economy, tobacco smoking can lead to a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the user. The effects of smoking tobacco not only affect the user but surrounding people as well: permanently destroying their lungs and children, increasing the chances of diseases and of cancer.

Winning the war against cigarettes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from American Cancer Society: http:www.cancer.org

The stress connected to my employment contributed to nicotine addiction weakened my immune defenses and played a role in the course of my cancer. I used tobacco products to alleviate the traumatic experiences relating with my in service PTSD/Alcohol/Drug Abuse problems.

This act carried on from the battlefield to soldier’s hometowns as many soldier’s routines now included smoking tobacco at least once or twice a day.(learner) At the time, many people did not know the harmful effects of tobacco and were seen as unpatriotic if they disagreed with the sending of tobacco to soldiers. Although as time passed and World War II began, many of the soldiers who were seen smoking during the previous wars were now developing lung cancer. Years after the war, in 1948, a health report showed that lung cancer rates had quintupled in the last ten years. This report was published at a time when half of all men and one-third of all women were smoking regularly(tobaccopreventionk12). This evidence was not enough to discourage people and even the government from tobacco products, in fact the supply of cigarettes in rations to soldiers continued for another 30 years. Although as time went on, the evidence linking lung cancer to tobacco was

Our current policies that we have now need to be improved so for those that serve can have mental health care when they need to seek out for it, have no fear that it would affect them professionally, and are assured that they can seek this treatment privately. Now, with tobacco use even as the Department of Defense (DOD) attempts to restrict tobacco use, regardless the use of those tobacco products still remains at its high state (Murray, 2012, p. 180). Service members have to stay in healthy condition within and without, but with the tobacco issue that really damages their health to the point where it can cause difficulties serving or

For analyses examining type of separation, we further excluded Reserve and National Guard personnel (n=1,658) due to the lack of separation data. Table 4 shows smoking prevalence, unadjusted, and adjusted odds ratios of smoking among

The current Coast Guard Enlisted Employee Review (EER) and future Enlisted Evaluation System (EES) does not have accountability to members that use tobacco products. The Surgeon General of the United States has determined that tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness, disability, and death in the United States, ref (a). The Coast Guard Health Promotion Manual states, “Tobacco products generate physiological changes and cause significant health risks.” In 2015 about 15 of every 100 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (15.1%) smoked cigarettes, according the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC). Consequently, 15 percent of our workforce is involved with a know substance that is detrimental to their health, yet the

ad initiative and Department of Defense goal for tobacco-free installations by year 2020. The short-term im-

The tobacco industries used many arguments and strategies to prevent implementation of restricting smoking policy among militaries, restricting smoking is a kind of discrimination between smokers and non-smokers, restriction of personal freedom, and the smokers have a right to use tobacco (Offen, 2011).

An estimated 36.5 million or 15.1 % of adults aged 18 years old and older currently smoke cigarettes and more than 16,000,000 have smoking or live with diseases that are related to smoking. According to US department of health and human services, over the past five decades, there is a significant decline in cigarette smoking in the U.S. The progress has slowed in recent years and the prevalence of use of other tobacco products such as vapes, e-cigars and smokeless tobacco

Since these communities often lack access to cessation resources, it is essential that cessation programs are available to these individuals and continue to provide quality services. Effective smoking cessation interventions can substantially reduce tobacco-related morbidity, mortality, and save millions of dollars from averted medical costs (Jamal et al., 2015; DOH, 2016). However, Alaska and North Dakota are currently the only states funding their tobacco control programs at the CDC-recommended levels (Jamal et al., 2015). Therefore, a greater focus should be placed on utilizing these limited resources responsibly through effective program

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and deaths in the United States (1). Annually, a total of more deaths can be attributed to tobacco use than by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides, and homicides combined (3). In 2009, nearly 46.6 million or 20.6 percent of all Americans over the age of 18 were smoking (4), and each day, nearly 3,450 young Americans, between the ages 12 and 17, start smoking their first cigarette (5). Moreover, tobacco use results in nearly 443,000 annual deaths in the United States. Of these, 49,000 are attributed to secondhand smoke exposure (3). Consequently, tobacco use has heavily burdened the U.S. healthcare system. Every

During adolescence and with continued smoking into adulthood, cigarette smoking causes both immediate and long-term significant adverse health effects and health problems. Lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many cancers are some of the associated health problems that may occur with cigarette smoking. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2015), since 1964 more than 20 million Americans have died from cigarette smoking and 8.6 million people live with a serious illness caused by smoking. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2015) indicate that 9 out of 10 lung cancers and

Thesis Statement: Smoking has many dangerous effects on a smoker 's health and the health of those around them; it harms every organ in the body and leads to premature death.