Health Risks of Tobacco Use
• Leading cause of preventable death and disability in US
• Carcinogen or cancer causing substance
• Linked to• Lung disease• Heart disease• Cancers
• 90% percent of adult smokers started as teens
Toxins in Tobacco
• Nicotine
• Tar
• Carbon Monoxide
Many of these products can also be found in paint, rat poison and toilet cleaners
Nicotine
• Addictive drug – causes physical or psychological dependence.
• Stimulant – drug that increases the action of the CNS
• Raises blood pressure and heart rate
Tar
• Thick, sticky, dark fluid produced when tobacco burns
• Paralyzes and destroys cilia• Destroys alveoli• Destroys lung tissues• Leaves smokers susceptible to
bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, heart disease and cancer
Carbon Monoxide
• Colorless, odorless and poisonous gas• Absorbed more easily than oxygen• Increases risk of high blood pressure, heart disease,
hardening of arteries and circulatory deficits
Pipes, Cigars and Smokeless Tobacco
• Cigars contain more nicotine, tar and CO than cigarettes.
• Pipes and cigar smokers have a higher risk of developments cancers of the lips, mouth, throat, larynx, lungs and esophagus.
• Smokeless tobacco is no less risky than smoking tobacco because it is absorbed into the lining of the mouth and digestive system.
Short Term Effects of Tobacco Use
• Brain chemistry changes• Respiration• Increased heart rate• Dulled taste buds• Reduced appetite• Bad breath• Yellowed teeth• Smelly hair, skin and clothes
Long Term Effects of Tobacco Use
• Chronic Bronchitis• Emphysema• Lung cancer• Coronary heart disease• Stroke• Weakened immune system
Other Consequences
• Cost to society – tobacco related illnesses cost the US $165 billion each year
• Cost to individuals – average smokers spends $1500 a year
• Legal consequences – selling tobacco to people under 18 is illegal.
Reduced Tobacco Use Among Teens
• Tobacco legislation – in 1998 46 states restricted tobacco ads aimed at teens and required tobacco companies to fund ads to discourage teens from smoking
• No-smoking policies – smoking is limited or prohibited is most public places
• Family values – teens whose parents avoid tobacco are more likely to avoid it themselves
• Peer pressure – teens who do not smoke are healthy role models
• Health risks – tobacco education
Strategies for Avoiding Tobacco
• Surround yourself with positive influences
• Reduce peer pressure
• Refusal skills
Quitting
• Prepare for the quit day – set a date and stick to it
• Support – tell everyone you know about your plant to quit
• Health services – tobacco cessation programs
• Replace tobacco use with health behaviors – physical activity, nutrition, avoiding drugs and alcohol, stress-management techniques
Health Risks of Tobacco Smoke• Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) - air
that has been contaminated by tobacco smoke• Mainstream smoke – smoke exhaled
from the lungs of a smoker and contains lower concentrations of carcinogens
• Sidestream smoke – smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar.
• People exposed to ETS are more likely to develop asthma than their peers who are not exposed.
Non - Smokers
• Secondhand smoke causes • about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer each year• Eye irritations• Headaches• Ear infections• Coughing• Increase risk of coronary heart disease
Unborn Children
• Smoking during pregnancy can harm the fetus because toxins can diffuse through the placenta to the baby• Nicotine constricts blood
vessels• CO reduces O2 levels in the
blood of the fetus and mother• Increase risk of miscarriage,
premature birth, low birth rate, deformities, stillbirth, growth and developmental problems during childhood
Infants
• Infants exposed to ETS twice as likely to die of SID, have severe asthma attacks, ear infections, or respiratory tract infections.
Young Children
• Children of smokers tend to have more sore throats, ear infections, and upper respiratory problems.
• Secondhand smoke slows lung development and children who live with smokers may have weaker lungs.
• Children who live with smokers are more likely to smoke themselves.
Reducing Risk
• Encourage family and friends to quit
• Establish smoke-free areas
• Keep windows open and use air cleaners
• Meet in public areas
• Request non-smoking environments