So why is it a public health issue? As for many people within the UK, smoking is just simply part of their lifestyle. It is a major health issue due to the damage it can cause. In addition to the damage caused, smoking has a major effect on financial costs too. The NHS alone spends up to £1.7 billion every single year. This I not just on smokers but non-smokers as well. This is because if people live around others who smoke you can breathe in their smoke which will have an equal effect on you as on the smoker themselves. This is through passive smoking. Passive smoking is breathing in smoke from other people’s cigarettes and is capable of causing asthma attacks, coughs, headaches, ear infections, cancer and many more illnesses. (3)
Children are particularly affected by passive smoke because their bodies are still developing. But around half of all British children are growing up in homes where at least one parent is a smoker. (4)
Smoking has no health benefits, on contrast it is a lifestyle choice associated with a wide range of health risks. Smoking causes many types of cancer, which may not develop for years. But cancers account for only about half of the deaths related to smoking. Long-term smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, cardiovascular, bronchitis, emphysema, and stroke. Skin wounds take longer to heal and the immune system may be less effective in smokers compared to non-smokers. Smoking also has other effects on the body. (3)
Below is a diagram showing what smoking can do to your body: (3)
Many people smoke all over the world, adults to children, male to female. However there are countless reasons to do so. First and most common of all, smoking is very addictive. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals, produced by the burning of tobacco and the addictives. The smoke contains tar, which is made up of more then 4,000 chemicals that can cause dreadful illnesses and diseases. Cigarettes are naturally made up of dried leaves of tobacco plants and these are very poisonous: tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is what makes smoking addictive which carbon monoxide and tar can cause serious diseases. (3)
Below is a diagram which shows some of the poisons contained in cigarette smoke (4)
Secondly hundreds of people across the UK smoke to feel relaxed. They see it as a form to help cope with stress. Smokers may feel better however long-term it is causing a lot of damage. Other reasons why people may smoke might be peer pressure, social image, to look more confident and in control, curiosity, rite of passage, it tends to change appetite, to look good, it may run in the family, or you might just be feeling lonely or isolated. (3)
Smoking can also make you more prone to everyday complaints like colds, and make them more clear. Many people do not realise that smoking is what makes them cough, sneeze or feel short of breath when they exercise.
Nearly half the children in the England live in homes where at least one person smokes. Unlike adults, young children do not have any choice about whether or not they are exposed to tobacco smoke. The most important thing a parent can do to keep their child healthy is to ensure they live in a smoke free environment.
Socioeconomic status is one of the most powerful risk factors for poor health outcomes. People from lower socioeconomic status suffer disproportionately from nearly all diseases and have higher rates of mortality than people of higher socioeconomic status.
There is a strong association between cigarette smoking and socio-economic position. The prevalence of smoking varies by social class. For both men and women cigarette smoking is more common amongst manual social groups than among non-manual groups, and is lowest among higher managerial and professional classes. In 2005, 32% of men and 29% of women in routine and manual occupations smoked compared to 18% of men and 16% of women in managerial professional occupational. (1)
There is no other single avoidable factor causes such a high proportion of deaths, hospital admissions or consultations with general practitioners. This burden of ill health and early death falls disproportionately on poorer people. People in poorer social classes are more likely to die early due to a variety of reasons. Among men, premature deaths from lung cancer are five times higher among those in unskilled manual work compared with those in professional jobs.
Among low income lone parents, the poorest family group, over 70% smoke. It is estimated that over three-quarters of prisoners, many of whom come from socially deprived sections of the community, smoke. People with mental health problems are also more likely to be smokers.
Smoking is very high among the many Muslims living in the UK; smoking prevalence (particularly among men) remains high. For example, in England in 2004 the overall prevalence of smoking was 40% in Bangladeshi men and 29% in Pakistani men compared with 24% among the male general population
There are not many smokers about who started smoking after the age of eighteen. In fact, the majority of smokers took up the habit in their early or mid teens. At such a young age, teenagers don't really think about the health risks of smoking and sometimes may not realise how addictive it is.
Teenagers may think that they can try smoking a few times and then take it or leave it. However, the truth is that it doesn't take long to become addicted to nicotine and smoking. Within a short period of time, children can experience the same cravings and withdrawal symptoms as an adult, as well as smoke as many cigarettes or more.
Below is a list of short and long – term benefits after the first 20 minutes of quitting tobacco.
20 minutes: blood pressure decreases, pulse rate drops, and temperature of hands and feet hhhhhhhhi increases
8 hours: carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal, oxygen level in blood increases to normal
24 hours: chance of heart attack decreases
48 hours: nerve ending start re-growing, ability to smell and taste is enhanced
2-12 weeks: circulation improves; walking becomes easier, lung function increases
1-9 months: coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year: excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to have that of a smoker
5 years: from 5-15 years of age after quitting, stroke risk is reduces to that of people who have dddddd never smoked
10 years: risk to lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers, risk of cancer h y of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases, risk of fgggg ulcer decreases
15 years: risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked, rrrrrr risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
As you can see quitting the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These benefits short-term wise can also improve your day-to-day life.
- your breath smells better
- stained teeth get whiter
- bad smelling clothes and hair go away
- your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
- food tastes better
- your sense of smell returns to normal
- Everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (for example, climbing stairs or light housework).
Long-term wise this will save the smoker lots of money. The average smoker in the UK (who smokes maybe 20 cigarettes a day) will spend almost £91,520 over 40 years on their habit. However if they can quit this habit then there is a much better lifestyle that they can choose out there.
Many of tobacco's health effects can be minimized through smoking cessation. Evidence shows that those who stop smoking before they reach 30 years of age live almost as long as those who never smoke. It is also possible to reduce the risks by reducing the frequency of smoking and by proper diet and exercise.
Smoking cessation (known as quitting, or kicking the habit) is the effort to stop products. There are a range of ways to tackle with smoking. First of all getting professional help from your doctor, a nurse or a trained counsellor can help you stop smoking. The NHS also offers a smoking helpline, which smokers and their families can call for free, for expert advice
e. Getting advice and encouragement from a GP, nurse or trained counsellor really helps, especially if you are pregnant or at high risk of an illness caused by smoking. You can get one-to-one advice, on the telephone or from self-help materials, such as leaflets. Nicotine replacement can also help you give up. Products such as nicotine patches, gum, nasal spray, lozenges, tablets that you put under your tongue and sprays are all forms of this treatment.
Smoking has many types of short and long-term effects. It causes many types of cancers, which may not develop for years. But cancers account for only about half of the deaths linked to smoking. Long-term, smoking leads people to develop health problems like cancer, emphysema (breakdown of lung tissue), organ damage, and heart disease. Smoking also damages the arteries.
Smoking also causes many short-term effects, such as poor lung function. Because of this, smokers often suffer shortness of breath and nagging coughs. They often will tire easily during physical activity. Some other common short-term effects include less ability to smell and taste, premature aging of the skin, bad breath, and stained teeth.
Reducing the number of people who smoke is a key priority for the PCT. The PCT has developed a comprehensive called the Northamptonshire Stop Smoking Service (NSSS) which offers a range of services designed to help people successfully stop smoking.
The government has done a lot over the past years in order to prevent smoking. Smoking was recently banned in indoor places in England, on the 1st of July 2007. This included all places at work, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other places of entertainment. However smoking is still allowed outdoors, such as at home, in prison, care homes, designated hotel rooms. This means that there are still chances of severe illnesses which can affect non-smokers. (4)
The major reason for the ban is to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of the second-hand smoke, which include an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, emphysema and other chronic and acute diseases. I think that the smoking ban has improved health within the UK, yet many people are still smoking. The government along with the Public Health Practitioners can still do more to ensure that people don’t start smoking as well as to stop them. I think that the ban has changed the quality of life in certain areas I also think that it will make public places better and will also attract new people, as the environment will be smoke free. I personally think that they should put up the prices, making tobacco less affordable.
The government are considering banning selling cigarettes from vending machines; I personally think this would be a very good idea. Reasons being are children are still at ease of accessibility of buying tobacco illegally in pubs, bars, hotels and social clubs. Evidence shows there are 70,000’s of them, selling 750 million cigarettes a year. In my opinion the banning of cigarette vending machines would reduce the outlets available to young people and therefore restrict their access to cigarettes.
On October 1st 2007, the law for selling tobacco also changed. It is now illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 (an increase from 16) in England and Wales. However I don’t think that raising the legal age of buying tobacco has been really effective. Reason being is that teenagers and children underage have been able to get hold of cigarettes for the past many years. Of which many of these young smokers say they buy their cigarettes from newsagents and corner shops. Yet in some areas within the UK the rate of smoking has slightly dropped
No Smoking Day is also an excellent opportunity to stop smoking and there are affective free and friendly services available locally. It is an annual health awareness campaign that helps smokers that want to stop. On No Smoking Day, up to 1.5 million smokers make their first quit attempt and millions more use the day to take a step towards stopping smoking.
Bibliography
Throughout this assignment I have put numbers in brackets, next to key terms/skills or definitions. This then refers to the bibliography that is set at the back of my assignment, which shows where I got the information. (!) PCT Report
(2) Newash Website
(3) Collins textbook
(4) NHS Leaflets
(5) Public Health Annual Report