Tobacco, Its Effects and Prevention Strategies

Table of Contents

What is Tobacco?

Basically, tobacco is a plant.
Tobacco leaves are dried, fermented and used as a tobacco product.
Tobacco contains nicotine, a constituent responsible for the addiction among people (which is the reason people find it difficult to quit).

Key Facts on Tobacco:

According to WHO, tobacco kills up to half of its users.
Tobacco consumption is the leading preventable cause of death
Tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats in the world.
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. Among those 8 million people, more than 7 million deaths are due to direct use of tobacco while the other 1.2 million deaths are the deaths of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoking.
Low- and middle-income countries constitute of around 80% of the world’s 1.1 billion smokers.
Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Illegal drug use
- Alcohol use
- Motor vehicle injuries
- Firearm-related incidents
In 2017, tobacco killed 3.3 million users and people exposed to second-hand smoke from lung-related conditions, including:
- 5 million people dying from chronic respiratory diseases
- 2 million deaths from cancer (tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer)
- 600,000 deaths from respiratory infections and tuberculosis
More than 60,000 children aged under five die of lower respiratory infections caused by second-hand smoke. Those who live on into adulthood are more likely to develop the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

Types of Tobacco:

There are mainly two different types of tobacco:

1. Smoking tobacco:

1. Cigarette
2. Biri
3. Hukka
4. Cigar
5. Pipe

2. Smokeless tobacco:

1. Chewing tobacco
2. Snuff

Factors Contributing to Tobacco Use:

The choice to use and continue to use a tobacco product depends on many factors:

Personal factors such as self-image
Societal factors such as easy access to cigarettes and tobacco products
Family environment where family members are smokers/tobacco users
Peer pressure
Attractive advertisement and promotion
Magazine advertisements
Outdoor advertisements
In-Store promotions
Racial/ethnic symbols, names, and events
Targeted products
Psycho-social determinants
Economic influences
- Tobacco industry support for racial/ethnic minority communities
- The tobacco industry’s longtime economic support for U.S. racial/ethnic communities may have contributed to the survival of many of these communities’ institutions.
- For example, the tobacco industry supports African American communities in five main ways:
- Direct employment of African Americans
- Support for social services and civil rights organizations
- Contributions to politicians and political organizations
- Support for educational and cultural programs
- Contracts with small businesses

Incentives Provided by Tobacco Industries to Attract People:

Apart from various economic influences created by the tobacco industries, other form of incentives provided by the tobacco industries are:

a) Employment Opportunities

Many of the tobacco industry has been creating employment opportunities to the marginalized to high standard level people in expanding country’s economy.

b) Advertising Revenues

By placing advertisements in racial/ethnic publications, primarily those with limited circulations, tobacco companies have become important contributors to advertising revenues for these publications.

c) Funding for Community Agencies and Organizations

The tobacco product and alcoholic beverage industries have made significant financial and in-kind contributions to various racial/ethnic community organizations at the local, regional, and national levels.
These contributions have at times been described as marriages of convenience in which community organizations, agencies receive much-needed income, and tobacco companies gain, at a minimum, name recognition and goodwill.

d) Support for Education

For years, the tobacco industry has contributed to programs that aim to enhance the primary and secondary education of children, has funded universities and colleges, and has supported scholarship programs targeting African Americans (the UNCF) and Hispanics (the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund).

e) Support for Political, Civic, and Community Campaigns

f) Support for Cultural Activities

Tobacco companies have also supported different cultural events in order to reach among all members and groups of the society. Tobacco companies sponsor large museum exhibitions, concerts, and performances for the full spectrum of society.

g) Support for Sports Events

Tobacco companies have maintained a link to sports and racial/ethnic communities through such means as sponsoring the Jackie Robinson Foundation Awards Dinner.

Adverse Effects of Tobacco:

a) Increased Health Risks

Heart disease
Stroke
Lung cancer
Increase in Health utilization cost
Increase Absenteeism from work
Low functioning
Hampers overall healthy life

b) Cancer

Bladder
Blood (acute myeloid leukemia)
Cervix
Colon and rectum (colorectal)
Esophagus
Kidney and ureter
Larynx
Liver
Oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils)
Pancreas
Stomach
Trachea, bronchus, and lung

c) Other Health Risks

Preterm delivery
Stillbirth
Low birth weight
Sudden infant death syndrome
Ectopic pregnancy
Orofacial clefts in infants
Smoking can also affect men’s sperm, which can reduce fertility and increase risks for birth defects and miscarriage.
Smoking can affect bone health.
Women past childbearing years who smoke have weaker bones than women who has never smoked. They are also at greater risk for broken bones.
Smoking affects the oral health i.e. health of your teeth and gums. It can ultimately result in tooth loss.
Smoking can increase your risk of cataracts.
Smoking can also cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is damage to a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision.
Smoking is one of the major factors for causing type 2 diabetes mellitus. The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers.
Smoking also increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Apart from these effects, smoking causes general adverse effects on the body, including inflammation and decreased immune function.

Preventive Measures:

Awareness and sensitization
Bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship
Pictorial health warnings on tobacco products
Supporting tobacco users to quit smoking and use tobacco products
Standardized and systematic surveillance, especially targeting youths and adults to understand the nature of tobacco use
Strong political commitment to reduce the use of tobacco products
Increase in taxes on tobacco products

Prevention Measures Targeting the Youths:

School based curriculum
Parental involvement
Teen cessation programs
Mass media campaigns
Ban of advertising and promotions nearby school and college areas

WHO’s MPOWER Package:

WHO has developed MPOWER package to fight against tobacco epidemic and its effect. Each MPOWER links with at least 1 provision of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC):