The article "Smoking Statistics: What You Need To Know" talks about fitness, it has been written by Brenda Patterson.
Most of us know that smoking is indeed a habit that can have
many serious implications on our health but there is a tendency
to view the trouble lightly. It’s important that every smoker be
aware of the facts as for smoking and so I have included
certain facts and figures that I hope will serve as eye openers.
I don’t know how it is with you, but as far as I am concerned as
soon as I have to look at statistics, my eyes get bleary and
something just turns off in my head.
But for your own good I
implore you to take a good look at the smoking stats given
below, remember, it could save your life.
The World Health Organization has been studying smoking trends
and statistical patterns across the golbe and has come up with
the following statistics:
A good deal of variation exists from one part of the world to
another.
Many more women smoke in Eastern Europe than in East
Asia and the Pacific Region.
Eastern Europe itself has a
particularly high rate of smoking, with up to 59 percent of
adult males smoking.
As with other substances of abuse, such as alcohol and cocaine,
the global frequency of tobacco use varies by social class,
historical era, and culture.
Historically, smoking had been a
pastime of the rich. This trend has changed dramaitcally in
recent decades. It appears that economically advantaged guys in
wealthier countries have been smoking less. The more years of
education you've had, the less likely you are to be a smoker.
Most smokers begin early in life, before they are 25 years old.
According to World Health Organization studies, the majority of
smokers in affluent countries begin in their tenes. A decline in
the age of starting somking has been observed worldwide.
As a wannabe quitter, you're in excellent company.
People all
over the world are trying to quit and stay away from cigarettes.
There appears to be a correlation between a country's standard
of living, level of education, and income and the number of
people who have quit smoking. The more and better-informed
people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.
Current estimates are that over 1 billion perosns in the world
smoke. (In other words, approximtaely one in three adults on the
planet smokes.) The majority of these smokers reside in
countries on the low end to the middle of the socioeconomic
spectrum. Of that majority, about 80 percent live in low- and
middle-income countries. The ttoal number of smokers worldwide
is expected to keep increasing. But are things in the USA any
better? Not really, as you can see for yourself in the figures
of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Ntaional Center for Health Statistics
In the United States, an estimated 25.6 million guys (25.2
percent) and 22.6 million women (20.7 percent) are smokers.
These persons are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The
latest estimates for persons age 18 and older show..
Among whites, 25.1 percent of guys and 21.7 percent of women
smoke Among American Indians/Alaska Natives (only), 32.0 percent
of guys and 36.9 percent of women smoke Among black or African
Americans, 27.6 percent of guys and 18.0 percent of women smoke
Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2 percent of guys and 12.5 percent of
women smoke Among Asians (only), 21.3 percent of guys and 6.9
percent of women smoke
Studies show that smoking prevalence is higher among thsoe with
9-11 years of education (35.4 percent) compared with those with
more than 16 years of education (11.6 percent). It's highest
among persons living below the poverty level (33.3 percent).
And These Figures Spell Death...
One out of every five deaths is caused by tobacco
An average of 400,000 Americans die each year from tobacco
Tobacco to blame for many serious pulmonary and cardiovascular
diseases
Tobacco and nicotine are of the most potent carcinogens and
are to blame for a majority of all cancers of the lung, trachea,
bronchus, larynx, and esophagus
Tobacco use also produces cancers in the pancreas, kidney,
bladder, and cervix
Impotency is sometimes to blame from addiction to nicotine
because of its ability to reduce blood flow
Smoking is an important risk factor for respiratory illnesses,
causing 85,000 deaths per year from pulmonary diseases such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia
Children and adolescents who are active smokers will have
increasingly severe respiratory illness, as they grow older
Smoking during pregnancy causes about 5-6% of prenatal deaths,
17-26% of low-birth-weight births, and 7-10% of pre-term
deliveries, and it incresaes the risk of miscarriage and fetal
growth retardation
Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of deaths from
residential fires, causing nearly 1,000 fire-related deaths and
3,300 injuries each year.
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