Perhaps smoking is one of the most well-known types of using drugs. Since it is legal in most countries, it is very much patronized by people of all ages, shapes, sizes and gender. Young and old alike just love the sensation of having a smoke. According to Health Literacy World, there are various reasons why people smoke. For teens, they love smoking because of the pressure from other friends who smoke, they want to be accepted, or they want to look mature. Adults have different reasons. One of the most common reasons is that they want to get over the stress and pressures of their economic and personal problems. Smoking somehow makes them more relaxed and more energized when they are in the midst of pressures in life. Other people use smoking to lose weight – they replace their meals with a stick of cigarette and they feel full. This will ultimately lead them to lose weight. On the other hand, people who would like to gain weight will smoke to gain better appetite, and they will ultimately gain weight (Health Literacy World). Whatever their reasons, smoking still remains a big part of a lot of people’s lives.
A study conducted by the American Cancer Society in 2007 showed that Asians smoke more cigarettes than any race in the world. It showed China as the top smoking country in Asia followed closely by Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Past. A large percentage of this smoking population are men. In fact, around 700 million men in Asia in 2007 cannot get through the day without puffing on a cigarette (Economist.com).
According to an article called “Smoking in Asia: A Looming Health Epidemic” published in the AsianScientist in 2012, India and China have rose up to the ranks house the most smokers in Asia. They are home to more smokers than the entire population of the European Union. While smokers in the West are trying to end their smoking habits, Asian smokers are lighting more and more cigarettes every day. Tobacco smokers in China have reached 300 million while Indian smokers add up 275 million to the number of Asian smokers (AsianScientist).
“In the year 2010, a study conducted by the George Institute of Global Health showed that the Asia-Pacific region houses 30 percent of the world’s smokers” (Asian Scientist). From this 30 percent, 80 percent of these, according to the World Health Organization all belong to low or middle-income countries (Asian Scientist). From this statistics, it can be realized that people from the lower income bracket are usually the ones who are exposed to more pressures and stresses since these are usually the common causes of smoking.
In the Philippines, more teenagers are getting into the habit of smoking every day. As young as 13 years old, they are already consuming tobacco products. There are even isolated cases where even small kids are already consuming cigarettes. A Global Youth survey said that around 50.8 of the population in the Philippines would have already tried a tobacco product upon reaching 13 to 15 years old (Inquirer.net). A good explanation for this is that in the Philippines, most families have at least one member who smokes. According to the Global Youth survey, at least 3 out of 5 Filipinos live in a home where at least one member of the family is a regular smoker. Worst, about 78.1 percent or 4 out of 5 Filipinos live in a community where there are numerous smokers (Inquirer.net). This only shows that Filipinos have a lot of exposure to smoking from the onset. When children show their fathers or any member of their household smoke a cigarette, they would think that it is a good thing. And when they reach their adolescent years, coupled with the pressure they get from their peers, they too, will try smoking as well. This is the same in communities who have a lot of smokers. It will spread like a virus in the community.
Recently, the Philippines passed a law to raise the price of cigarettes which popularly known as the “sin tax” law. Aside from the expected raise on the taxes imposed on tobacco and alcohol products, the law also aims to reduce the number of smokers by making tobacco products unaffordable. The passing of the law also earned support from numerous government and non-government organizations. Aside from the revenues to be collected from the implementation of the new law “millions of Filipinos would be spared from premature death due to heart attacks, strokes and cancers” specially the youth. (Inquirer.net)
While smoking rate in the Asian region is increasing, the United States and the European region is experiencing a decline in the rate of cigarette smokers. In a study made by Gallup Wellbeing, it shows that the smoking rate has declined by about 20% since 1990’s with young adults making the most number of decline while those adults 65 and above pose an increase of about 1%. (Gallup.com) The rate of cigarette smokers in Europe is higher compared to Americans but is still below the rate of smokers in Asia. The higher rate is attributed by David Cutler in his 2006 study to the taxes imposed on tobacco products. There is a higher tax rate in the United States compared to tobacco tax rates in the Europe. In addition to these, income rates are also attributed to the tobacco consumption. Cutler noted that as income or education achievements increases, the smoking rate decreases while in the Europe, the income and educational achievements almost play an insignificant role.
Although, numerous Asian countries have passed laws banning smoking specially on public places, there is still no significant decrease in the number of smokers in most Asian countries. In Japan alone, the per capita cigarette consumption per year is 2770 compared to the US’s 2330 where the average smoking age is 20. This has been attributed to the cheap cigarettes sold in the country, which is considered as one of the lowest prices among the industrialized countries, as the manufacturers find it hard to raise prices while still maintaining profits. Cigarette taxes are also among the lowest among the top tobacco consuming countries. There has been no common anti-smoking law in the country as it varies from one region to another, however, most of the laws focused on the prohibition of smoking on public places.
Other Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Bhutan, India and Indonesia have also passed laws prohibiting smoking on public places. Bhutan was the first Asian country who passed a law in 2005 prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and smoking Taiwan is the second country who put a banned on smoking through its Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. This law prevented smoking on most public places as well as required the posting of no smoking signs in conspicuous areas. In addition, it set measurements for smoking rooms as well as amenities. It also prohibits the sale of cigarettes to youth 18 years and below. In January 2013, added to the number of countries imposing smoking laws by passing a law requiring tobacco packagers to add photographic warnings. This came three years after the same country passed a law listing cigarettes as an addictive substance. (AsianScientist) In North Korea, a communist country, its leader is ordering its people to stop smoking.
Although smoking statistics show that the number of men smokers are more than women, this does not mean that the number of female smokers are way below. In a study conducted by Tsai, YW in 2004, he found out that the public notices on effects of smoking have significantly reduced the cigarette consumption among male in Asia while women’s cigarette consumption haven’t changed significantly. In fact, in 2009, statistics show that 21.3% of men are smokers while only 6.9% of women smoke among Asians. However, in a separate study conducted by Tsai, the 6.9% are covers only those women openly smoking but a lot more are hidden smokers. Nevertheless, there is still a greater percentage of European and American smokers.
Another study conducted by the World Health Organization reveals that more smokers come from those people who have 9-11 years of education compared to more educated people (those with more than 16 years of education). This means that the more educated a person is, the more tendency of quitting smoking. In another study conducted by the same organization, they found out that there is a positive relationship between the number of smokers in country with its standards of living. People living below the poverty line tend to start smoking at an earlier age compared to those who lives above the poverty line. This could be one of the explanations while the number of smokers in Asia where more people live in third world countries and developing countries is significantly higher compared to those of Europe and the America. It is also revealed in the same study that the more the people have access to information regarding the bad effects of smoking, there is an improved chance of lessening the number of smokers. (HealthLearningInfo)
Effects of Smoking
Smoking has a lot of negative effects on health. According to the Better Health Channel, there are a lot of dangerous chemicals in the tobacco smoke that will bring detrimental effects on people who will inhale them. Among the thousands of dangerous elements found present in cigarette smoking, nicotine is by far the most dangerous. This is a drug that makes a smoker want to smoke more because it is an addictive substance. When smokers don’t get enough of the nicotine, they tend to crave for more until they satisfy the “nicotine hunger” they are feeling. (Better Health Channel).
Aside from nicotine, there are a lot of other things that smokers will inhale in tobacco smoke. In fact, there are 7,000 other chemicals that are present in that smoke which will eventually cause “damaging changes in the body”. Around 60 of those chemicals are proven to cause cancer. (Better Health Channel).
Other dangerous chemicals found in smoking are tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, free radicals, metals, and radioactive compounds. These chemicals cause different diseases such as respiratory illnesses including an “irritated trachea and larynx, reduced lung function and breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung airways and excess mucus in the lung passages, impairment of the lungs’ clearance system causing build-up of poisonous substances which results in lung irritation and damage, increased risk of lung infection and symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, and permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs” (Better Health Channel).
Not only is the respiratory system being damaged when one is smoking. Even the circulatory system, the immune system and the muscoskeletal systems are damaged as well. The effects of smoking the circulatory system include raised blood pressure and heart rate, constriction or tightening of blood vessels in the skin resulting in a drop in skin temperature, stickier blood which makes blood prone to more clotting, damage to the lining of the arteries which can help cause asteriosclerosis, and increased risk of stroke and heart attack due to blockages of the blood supply” (Better Health Channel).
When one smokes regularly, the immune system doesn’t work as well. As a result he or she is more prone to infections such as pneumonia and influenza. When the immune is not working, illnesses become more critical thus taking a longer time to heal. Smoking regularly also causes tightening of certain muscles in the body as well as reduction of the density (Better Health Channel).
Other effects of smoking in the body include the damage in the sense of taste and smell, higher possibility of being blind, irritation and swelling of the stomach and intestines, risk of contracting painful ulcers along the digestive tract, and acquiring gum disease (Better Health Channel).
Women who smoke are being exposed to more dangers as compared to men. One of the worst effects of smoking in women happens during pregnancy. If a mother smokes while she is pregnant, there is a very high possibility that she will suffer a miscarriage, stillbirth, or a premature birth. The baby may also have low birth weight which has the possibility of having long term effect on their development, and increased risk of cleft lip or cleft palate (Better Health Channel). Among the 7,000+ chemicals the mother can get while smoking, the most dangerous are nicotine and carbon monoxide which is surely passed on to the baby since these are entered into the mother’s bloodstream which in turn is the only source of nutrients and oxygen for his baby. These two toxins accounts for the most number of defects cause by smoking. (Woolston)
In the United States, over 1.5 million teenage girls are joining the smoking community although they are being warned against the dangers of smoking. Aside from suffering the usual effects of smoking that men experience, women are exposed to other dangers. When women smoke while taking oral contraceptives, they are putting themselves in serious risk of acquiring serious illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. Women become more at risk when they reach the age of 35.
According to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, children who were born from mothers who smoke will experience more colds, respiratory problems, ear aches and other illness. Thus they will be visiting the pediatric clinic more frequently than those who were borne by non-smoking mothers.
Smoking also causes infertility problems. Women who wait until their thirties and forties to have a baby are putting themselves in more risk of infertility. If a woman is already at this age and is smoking as well, they are putting themselves into more risk of infertility. According to studies, when women smoke, ovulatory response will decrease significantly causing destruction of fertilization which leads to damage on zygote implantations. There are also certain chemicals in tobacco that may alter the cervical fluid which can kill sperms, making it very difficult to conceive (Women’s Health)
In the same way, men who smoke also will experience problems in contributing to women’s fertility. Men who smoke are more likely to become impotent. Also, deadly chemicals that are found in cigarettes may cause birth defects in babies, gene mutations, cancer, miscarriages and other health issues. Having ectopic pregnancies as well as pelvic adhesions are also some of the effects of smoking in women (Women’s Health).
When a woman begins to smoke as a teenager, she is at risk of acquiring early menopause. This means that the symptoms of menopause occur three years before the normal menopausal occurs. Other problems include abnormal bleeding, amenorrhea, vaginal discharges and infections (Women’s Health).
Death is probably the worst thing that can happen to any smoker. A lot of people are dying around the world everyday because of the effects of smoking. “of the 5.5 million people who die from smoking-related illnesses each year, half are in Asia” (In Asia). China and Indonesia houses 1.7 million of the deaths due to smoking. The World Health Organization (WHO) projected that in the year 2050, “smoking deaths in Asia will be four times what they are today” (In Asia).
Lung cancer due to smoking accounts to about 50% of deaths in men in the Asia-Pacific region and 40% of deaths in women. If this rate doesn’t change, by the next couple of decades, the rate of deaths due to lung cancer is expected to double in the next two decades (Lee and Huxley).
Being exposed to second hand and third hand smoke are also as dangerous. Babies exposed to these can experience slow lung growth and may die from sudden infant death syndrome. Aside from these, they are more likely to develop respiratory problems such as asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis. Children exposed to third hand smoke can also developed learning disabilities aside from being prone to cancer and breathing problems.
Numerous studies also pointed out that children exposed to smoking are more likely to suffer from hyperactivity (ADHD). It has also been proven that children whose mothers are smoking gets lower scores in tests compared to children who are not exposed to tobacco. This only means that tobacco affects the brain of people. Behavioral problems are also common to children exposed to nicotine either during pregnancy or while the child is growing up. (Pressinger, 1998)
Anti-Smoking Laws in Asia
Because of the numerous health issues brought about by smoking, a lot of Asian countries have developed laws that ban or limit smoking.
Law enforcement in China seems to be the problem when it comes to implementing anti-smoking laws. In some places in China such as Guangzhou and Jiangmen , they tried to ban smoking in public spaces, however, were not able to effectively implement them. Starting in March of 2010, the Shanghai Municipality has expanded a smoking ban in schools, libraries, and stadiums. They also tried to prohibit smoking in restaurants in the 2010 World Expo however it also wasn’t carried out well because of poor law enforcement (Wikipedia).
In Hong Kong, public smoking has been restricted since January 1, 2007. The latest revision of this ordinance states that smoke-free regulations include indoor workplaces such as restaurants public lavatories, Internet cafes, beaches, and public parks. Some bars, saunas, nightclubs, and karaoke parlors were exempt from the ordinance until July 2009. “Smoke-free regulations were implemented in public transports, elevators, saunas, concert halls, airport terminals and escalators between 1982 and 1997” (Wikipedia).
Indonesia, one of Asia’s top smoking countries has also established bans against smoking. For example, in Jakarta, it is prohibited to smoke in hotels, restaurants, office buildings, airports and public transport. For restaurants that want to allow smoking for their customers, they must provide a separate smoking area. Even in the city of Bali, they also established smoke-free regulations especially in tourist areas, which include restaurants and hotels, government buildings, schools, places of worship and other places frequented by the public (Wikipedia).
In North Korea, Kim Jong-il banned smoking in 2007. The smoking banned was issued to protect the majority of people from who does not smoke from the effects of smoking from those who cannot control themselves. This is also a moved by the government to reduced the 40% of smokers in the country. In the nearby South Korea where the number of male smokers is hits above 40% but has one of the lowest number of female smokers in the world, a smoke free law has also been implemented since 2011. This law prohibits smoking in all public places like schools, government institutions and medical institutions.
Works Cited
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http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Smoking_effects_on_your_body
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