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EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON HUMAN HEALTH

November 25, 2020

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Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction:................................................................................................................................................4
Background Information..........................................................................................................................4
Significance of the study.........................................................................................................................5
Scope of the study...................................................................................................................................5
Limitation of the study............................................................................................................................5
Causes.........................................................................................................................................................5
Parental influence....................................................................................................................................6
Peer pressure............................................................................................................................................6
Stress relief..............................................................................................................................................6
Media influence.......................................................................................................................................6
Self-medication.......................................................................................................................................7
Genetic predisposition.............................................................................................................................7
Effects of Smoking on Human Health:........................................................................................................7
Smoking and lung Cancer........................................................................................................................9
Smoking and Cardiovascular/Heart diseases...........................................................................................9
Atherosclerosis....................................................................................................................................9
Coronary Heart disease........................................................................................................................9
Stroke..................................................................................................................................................9
Peripheral Arterial Disease(PAD)........................................................................................................9
Smoking and Human reproduction System............................................................................................10
Facts and Figures about smoking...............................................................................................................10
Stages to quit Smoking:.............................................................................................................................12
Health benefits of quitting.........................................................................................................................12
At no age it is too late to stop smoking:.................................................................................................13
Methodology.............................................................................................................................................13
Results and Discussion..............................................................................................................................13
Result.....................................................................................................................................................13
Discussion:............................................................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................13
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................................13
Reference:..................................................................................................................................................14
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Table of Figures

Figure 1 Parental Smoking Graph...............................................................................................................6

Figure 2 Secondhand smoke Exposure in different Countries.....................................................................7
Figure 3 Health Risk from Smoking............................................................................................................8
Figure 4 Cumulative risk of death among smokers of different ages...........................................................9
Figure 5 Fact about Secondhand smoking................................................................................................10
Figure 6 Price of Cigarette Packs in different Countries............................................................................11
Figure 7 Percentage of Current, Former, and never Smokers aged 20 or above........................................11
Figure 8 Stages To Quit Smoking..............................................................................................................12
Figure 9 Long term and Short term effects after Quitting Smoking...........................................................12

Table of Tables

Table 1 Personalities of Smokers and non-Smokers..................................................................................10

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Abstract:
The main objective of the report is to spread awareness about the psychological, physical effects
of smoking on human health. The report is written by researching different papers and reports
based on different surveys and experiments from authenticated sources. According to the report
smoking is the major cause of many diseases like lungs cancer and other lungs related
diseases, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and also harm the human reproducing system.
Based on fact and figures about the harmful effects of smoking on human health it is highly
recommended to prevent yourself and your loved ones from smoking before it is too late.

Introduction:
Smoking is the act of inhaling the fumes of burning
plant material including marijuana and hashish, but
the act is mostly associated with tobacco as smoked
in a cigarette, cigar or pipe. Smoking has become a
global epidemic among young people [1]. It poses
serious health threats and has significant implications
on the public and economic health of any nation. It
reduces the life expectancy among smokers and is
linked with many neurological, cardiovascular and
pulmonary diseases [2]. It not only affects the
smokers but also contributes to the health problems
of non-smokers.

Background Information:
The relationship between smoking and health stems initially from clinical interpretations about
lung cancer, the first disease definitively linked to smoking. About 48 years ago, the Office of
Surgeon General of the United States Health Service reviewed over 7000 research papers on the
topic of smoking and health, and publicly recognized the role of smoking in various diseases,
including lung cancer. Since then, numerous studies have been published that substantiate the
strong association of smoking with a variety of adverse human health effects, most prominently
with cancer and cardiovascular diseases [3].

Smoking had become recognized as being highly addictive and one of the world’s most-
devastating causes of death and disease. The number of smoking-related deaths per year was
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projected to increase rapidly in the 21st century. For example, the World Health
Organization (WHO) estimated that in the late 1990s there were approximately four million
tobacco-caused deaths per year worldwide. This estimate was increased to approximately five
million in 2003 and six million in 2011 and was expected to reach eight million per year by
2030. An estimated 70 percent of those deaths were projected to occur in developing countries
[4]

Statement of the purpose/problem:

The purpose of this report is to create awareness among people by describing the harmful effects
of smoking that has become a reprehensible habit and has spread all over the world as an
epidemic. It will inform the readers regarding the causes and effects of smoking and will also
highlight ways to quit smoking because it has become major preventable causes of death in the
world.

Significance of the study:

Despite considerable gains in public knowledge about smoking, substantial numbers of smokers
are still unaware of or do not accept the health risks of smoking [5]. But there are certain
smokers who acknowledge the harm they are doing to themselves and many reports that they
don’t enjoy it
– yet they continue to smoke. The reason is that nicotine from cigarettes generates strong urges
to smoke that undermine concerns about the negative consequences of smoking. It has been
shown that extensive counselling can increase the chances of quitting smoking. So, this report
will act as a source of counselling and will create awareness among people regarding negative
effects of smoking and will highlight different methods that will help smokers quit smoking.

Scope of the study:

This report will cover the health effects caused by smoking over a range of specific and non-
specific diseases and will provide some background information with facts and figures. It will
explain the psychological, pharmacological and social factors that lead people towards smoking
and will also describe methods to quit smoking. The target audience of this report is not only the
specific area or country but smokers all around the world.

Limitation of the study:

The factors influencing our study were that we could not physically conduct our study i.e.
distributing questioners or conducting survey to collect data and also some time constraints.

Causes
There are a lot of problems that became the result of addiction of smoke. We list few causes of
smoking in world.
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Parental influence
Parents play a big role of addicting smoke to children. The relationship between parents and their
children smoking is blunt [6]. Children follow their parents and they take easy access of bad
habits through them. smoker parents will affect their children easily.

Figure 1 Parental Smoking Graph

Peer pressure
Studies shows that adolescents whose peers smoke are 4.3 time more
likely to pick up smoking compared to people who have no peers
smoking [7]. By contrast having peers who smoke made adolescent
from the most individualist countries 1.89 times more likely to smoke
[7]. some teenagers say that they “just wanted to try it”, or they
thought it was “cool” to smoke [8]

Stress relief
Those people who have some stress of job, financial issue, family
problems, study problems, some relationship problems of teenage will
cause the great effect on mental illness and people start smoking for
only limited time period to overcome the stress but they became
addicted.

Media influence
Media is now become more powerful. Our teenager are the followers of
media personality. Smoking in the media can have the same influence as
fashion or the appearance of a trendy gadget in actor’s hand [8]. Younger
viewers see a main character smoking as something socially acceptable,
stylish and desirable [8].
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Self-medication
Sometime smoking is a way of self-medicate for some illness that
cause tension and pain. Patients that have anxiety disorder or
depression may take up smoking because it can help mitigate in some
of their symptoms [8].

Genetic predisposition
Modern studies research focuses on genetics, and for logical reasons. From small allergies to
blood disorder and different types of disorder comes from genes, including addiction to nicotine
[8]. The effect of addiction of tobacco products may have a genetic component [8].

Effects of Smoking on Human Health:

Tobacco smoking harms human health whether it is First-hand smoking
(the smoke inhaled by the smoker), Second-hand smoking (smoke
exhaled by the smoker and from the burning cigarette that later on get
inhaled by others), or Third-hand smoking (second-hand smoke that get
left on the objects and become toxic by the passage of time) [9].

Figure 2 Secondhand smoke Exposure in different Countries

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Smoking is the leading cause of death among human beings, it is easy to assume from the fact
that smokers dies 14 years earlier than non-smokers [10]. Death rate due to smoking is more
in developing countries than in non-developing countries. Nearly 70% of deaths due to smoke
related diseases occurs in developing countries. Death rate due to smoke related diseases is more
than the sum of all deaths caused by HIV, illegal drugs, alcohol, motors vehicle injuries, and
murders [10]. Smoking also effects the human reproduction system. Smoking is the cause of
many dangerous diseases like;

 Lung Cancer, and other lungs related diseases.

 Cardiovascular disease (CVD).
 Can affect the human reproduction system.

Figure 3 Health Risk from Smoking

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Smoking and lung Cancer:

Lungs are the important organs in a hu 1man body as the provide oxygen to human cells. Lungs
are affected by smoking whether it is first-hand smoking or second-hand smoking. With each
puff a smoker draws a collection of gases and toxic particles in his lungs, which leads to
changes in lung tissues after exposure called as precancerous changes [10], and cause lung
related diseases which further leads to lung cancer.

Figure 4 Cumulative risk of death among smokers of different ages

Smoking and Cardiovascular/Heart diseases:

Smoking causes Cardiovascular diseases(CVD). Even for the people smoking less than five
cigarette a day there is a probability that they may show signs of CVD. Chemicals in smoke
cause the inflammation of cells in blood vessels, which result in the narrowing of blood vessels
that might leads to many CVD conditions such as;

Atherosclerosis:
In atherosclerosis the arteries become narrow and less flexible. It occurs when plaque builds up
in the wall of arteries due to which blood can no longer flow in various body parts [11]

Coronary Heart disease:

In Coronary Heart Disease arteries become blocked by blood clot which further leads to heart
attack [11].

Stroke:
It is the loss in brain function when blood flow in the brain is interrupted [11]. It may cause brain
damage and may lead to death. Smoking is also one of the main causes of stroke. There is high
probability of stroke in smokers than non-smokers.

Peripheral Arterial Disease(PAD):

In PAD the flow of blood to arms and legs reduces when blood vessels and arteries become narrow
[11]. Which is caused by smoking as discussed earlier.
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Smoking and Human reproduction System:

Chemical agents in smoke may affect the male reproduction by
effecting Spermatogenesis, and testicular function [10]which
may leads to infertility among males. Women are likely to get
irregularities, infertility problems and hot flashes during
menopause due to smoking [10]. Smoking also lowers the level of
estrogen among women. Smoking cigarette affects every aspect of
egg production, fertilization process, and growth and
development of baby during pregnancy.

Facts and Figures about smoking:

Some facts and figures about Tabacco are given below;

 Given below is the fact about Secondhand smoking.

Figure 5 Fact about Secondhand smoking

 Given below are the personalities differences of smokers (Negative-traits) as compare

to non-Smokers (Positive-traits) .

Table 1 Personalities of Smokers and non-Smokers

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 Prices of the pack of cigarette in different countries around the world are in the graph
below.

Figure 6 Price of Cigarette Packs in different Countries

 Comparison of rate of current smokers, former smokers, and never smokers from year
2007-2014 is given below in the graph.

Figure 7 Percentage of Current, Former, and never Smokers aged 20 or above

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Stages to quit Smoking:

A smoker can quit smoking by following these
five steps;

Commitment: Strongly commit smoker

to quit smoking.
Understanding the smoking trap: To
understand about what keeps the
smoker from quitting smoking.
Re-programming: Hypnotize or
motivate the smoker to quit smoking.
Testing: Test whether the smoker
relapse to smoking triggers.
Anchoring: Follow a routine for a
specific time without smoking.

Figure 8 Stages To Quit Smoking

Health benefits of quitting

We can gain health benefits from smoking whether it is for long, or short period of time. Health
benefits of quitting smoking are shown in the figure below.

Figure 9 Long term and Short term effects after Quitting Smoking
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At no age it is too late to stop smoking:

Even after the age of 60, within 5 years of cessation of

smoking, there is a significant decrease in mortality rates on the
background of cardiovascular disease, as compared to someone
who continues to smoke.

Methodology
The research used a qualitative methodology, we collected data from different authentic online
reports and journals who used methods of conducting surveys worldwide to collect data.

Results and Discussion:

Result:
Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, and diabetes. Smoking also
increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system,
including rheumatoid arthritis.

Discussion:
There are many reasons why smoking is not good for health as it increases the risk of cancers, it
increases the heart diseases, it can also cause chronic obstructive lung disease, and many more.
As we all know that smoking is injurious to health, so it is our duty to aware people about the
causes of smoking. Smoking damages nearly every organ in the body. People can significantly
reduce their chance of smoking related disease by giving it up.

CONCLUSION:
Smoking has become a major health problem and continued efforts to curb and eliminate this
abuse are a medical necessity. It causes death and disability on a large scale and is linked with
many neurological, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. About 1 billion adults engage in this
behavior worldwide and only around 5% of unassisted quit efforts succeed for 6 months or
more. It is found that providing behavioral and pharmacological support can improve the rate at
which those quit attempts succeed. Governments can also reduce smoking prevalence by
increasing the cost of smoking through taxation, increasing continuous social marketing
campaigns and ensuring that health professionals routinely advise smokers to stop and offer
support for quitting.

Recommendation:
It is recommended to do further research on topics that would benefit you in this area of study
like;

Rise of smoking among youth.

Role of teachers in anti-smoking campaigns.
Smoking and economy.
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Reference:
[1]. Tobacco use: a pediatric epidemic [editorial] Tobacco Control.

[2]. Harmful health effects of cigarette smoking, volume 253.

[3]. Cigarette smoke and adverse health effects: An overview of research trends and future needs.

[4]. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

[5]. Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking, US Department of Health and Human
Services

[6]. American Heart Association “Cigarette Smoking Statistics” 2008 National Center For Health

[7]. University of Pennsylvania “Peer Influence doubles Smoking Risk For Adolescent”

[8]. The American Cancer Society Medical and Educational Content Team.

[9]. (Iqbal Pittalwala, January 30, 2014). Third-hand smoke just as deadly as first-hand smoke,
University of California, Riverside WHO.

[10]. (Chinnappan Ravinder Singh, KandasamyKathiresan, February 2015). Effect of cigarette

smoking on human health and promising remedy by mangroves.

[11]. (Center for disease control and prevention, 2014). Smoking and Cardiovascular disease.