Use of tobacco has always been a subject of intense debate. Everyone knows that its consumption can adversely affected health, but it has not stopped men and women from continuing its use.
Why is the World No Tobacco Day Celebrated?
Every year 31st March is observed as World No Tobacco Day to spread awareness on the negative effect of tobacco on public health, a call for effective polices to reduce tobacco consumption and for engaging stake holders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control.
What is the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2020?
The theme is to protect the youth from industry manipulation and keep them away from tobacco and nicotine use.
What is Tobacco?
Tobacco is a green leafy plant that is picked, dried and grounded up and can be smoked, chewed or sniffed through nose.
How is Tobacco consumed?
It can be consumed in various ways: smoke (cigarette, bidi, hukka, etc), chew (gutka, panmasala etc), sniffed through nose.
Why Tobacco so harmful?
As per The New Indian Express report, Cigarette or bidi smoke contained more than 700 chemical. Most of these chemical are harmful to health. There are more than 60 cancer causing substances in cigarette smoke and more than 30 such substances in smokeless tobacco.
What makes Tobacco so addictive or habit forming?
Nicotine is one of more than 7000 chemical in cigarette and its smoke. It is these chemical that make tobacco addictive or habit forming. Once we smoke, chew or sniff tobacco nicotine goes into the blood stream and the body demands more, because nicotine is a stimulant, it sends up the nervous system making people feel like they have more energy.
Why is tobacco a gradual killer?
Approximately one person dies every six second due to tobacco intake and this account for one in 10 adult death. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, Smoking causes many diseases and reduce health of smokers in general and eventually leads to death. Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people every year of whom over 5 million are from the group of direct tobacco users and any are non-smokers exposed to passive smoking.
What are the known diseases by smoking?
Compared to non-smokers, smoking is estimated to enhance risk of
• Coronary heart diseases by 2 to 4 times,
• Stroke by 2 to 4 times,
• Lungs cancer in men by 23 times and
• Death from chronic obstructive lung diseases by 12 to 13 times.
What are the adverse effect of smoking on reproductive health and what are its effect on women?
It can lead to infertility pre-term delivery and still born birth. Post-menopausal women who smoke have lower bone density and are more prone to fracture than women who never smoke.
What is passive smoking?
Passive smoking is inhalation of smoke called second hand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) by the person other than the intended active smoker, SHS is a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that come from burning tobacco:
• Side stream smoke or smoke from lighted end of a cigarette/pipe/cigar and
• Mainstream smoke and it has smaller particles than mainstream smoke which makes their wat into lungs and body cell more easily.
What is harmful effects of passive smoking?
Passive smoking is as harmful as active smoking. Global Youth Tobacco Survey estimate 21.9 per cent of children in India are exposed to SHS which they cannot escape. Babies and children exposed to SHS are at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infection, ear infections and more severe and frequent asthma attacks.
How can I quit smoking?
• Make a commitment to quit smoking
• Get support and encouragement
• Learn how to handle stress and the urge to smoke
• Get medication and use it correctly
• Keep trying as nicotine is huge addiction and longtime habits are hard to quit.
What are the steps to quit smoking easier?
1. Pick a date 2 to 4 weeks from the date you prepare to quit smoking, If possible choose a time when things in your life will change like when you are about to start a break from work or just pick a time when you do not expect any extra stress at work or home.
2. Make a list of reason why you want to quit. Keep the list on hand when you have nicotine craving. Keep the list on hand when you have nicotine craving keep a track of where, when and why you smoke. Plan the alternative as to what you will do instead of smoking.
3. Also think ahead as to what will be your reply to people who pressure you to smoke.
4. Throw away all your Tobacco. Clean out your room if you have smoked there, Throw away your ashtrays and lighters or anything that connects with your smoking habit.
5. Tell your friends that you are quitting. Ask them not to pressure you about smoking. Find other things to do with them besides smoking.
6. When you stop date arrives STOP Plan little rewards for yourself for each Tobacco free day, week or month.
7. If still quitting becomes difficult, talk to your doctor. He will guide you to a Tobacco de-addiction centre which will be a great help.
