It is surprising that despite the significant developments that man has done to reduce unnecessary deaths caused by environmental infections; little has been accomplished in eradicating preventable deaths caused by tobacco usage. In 2008, approximately 1.4 million lives were lost worldwide as a result of tobacco smoking. The figure is inclusive of both voluntary and involuntary smokers. The substances contained in tobacco are responsible for the development of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and tuberculosis. Life losses due to smoking have profound social-economic impacts. In the attempts to reduce the death toll, CDC often endorses the government with the responsibility of increasing awareness of adverse effects of smoking as well as the provision of rehabilitation facilities to the public. Such services increase the government expenditure hence raising taxes on essential services and products. The outcome is the gradual slowdown of a countries economies and a subsequent increase in poverty levels. This paper analyzes the effects of smoking at an individual level and its long lasting effects.
Tobacco smoking has a significant impact on a persons health and that of the people within the same environment. Tobacco use in public does not only contaminate the air forcing other people who are close enough to inhale the poisonous particles passively, but it also imparts on the morality of the society. For example, the younger generation tends to learn from grownups whom they look up to as their role models, since they are yet to realize their identities such kids imitate the actions of these people. Such a scenario demonstrate how the smoking habit gets popular in a particular region. The prevalence of smoking correlates to increasing number of ailments associated with tobacco. Physicians have linked twenty-seven serious health issues to the poisonous tobacco smoke particles. The most common of these diseases relates to the respiratory organ, for example, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis (Hahn et al. Pg. 1).
Studies have illustrated that smoking is more prevalent among people within the lower social class compared to the higher income rank. The lower social class is associated with relatively low incomes which translate into poor living conditions and lower educational levels ("Health Promotion", Pg. 58). Visualization of the life conditions of people within this class highlights the severity of smoking in our society. Due to lower income level, most people within this group can only afford small houses; therefore, if any family member is a smoker the entire family is at a risk of suffering tobacco-related illnesses. Another problem that such families face is the reduction in birth rates due to early menopause in ladies and increased infertility in men. Children born are likely to have various health issues relating to birth defects, for example, asthma and ear defects. Since diseases related to smoking are severe, the sick individuals end up spending a considerable amount of their little income on treatment. Such a scenario depicts a cycle of poverty, where the preceding generation tends to be poorer than the previous one.
Given the low income, most people lack health insurance covers forcing them to depend on government hospitals since they are relatively cheap. The outcome has been congestions in government health facilities forcing the government to build more hospitals and rehabilitation centers as well as employing more health workers. Provision of all these needs increases the government expenditure; since the government cannot neglect other sectors which are also essential by cutting down on their budgets, the burden is transferred to the public in the form of taxes. An increase in taxation has profound effects on the countrys economy for instance homesteads will have to forego some things thus reducing their living standards and foreign investors might relocate to other nations thus increasing the rate of unemployment. High taxations cause stagnation or reduced economy growth which results in the rise of poverty levels (Body Pg.4).
The habit of tobacco smoking which arises from environmental influences has significant adverse effects on our community. Tobacco usage tends to create a cycle of negative consequences that starts with the deterioration of an individuals health and others within the environs. The second stage is the social impact regarding morality and the health of the young ones in the society; this eventually translates into an economic problem that sees the entire nation suffer because of choices made by a particular group of people. The cycle tends to widen by including more people at any given moment, that is, a communitys problem becomes a nations issue which is translated into a continent matter and so forth. The attempts to curb tobacco issue began in late twentieth centuries and had been responsible for the prevention of significant life losses as most smokers are trying to quit the habit (Body Pg. 114). The understanding that everyone is affected by tobacco in one way or another should act as a motivation in finding practical solutions that can reduce the effect of smoking as well as the number of users.
Work Cited
"Health Promotion". Google Books. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Body, The. "The Effects Of Smoking On The Body". Healthline. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Hahn, Ellen J. et al. "The Three Ts Of Adopting Tobacco-Free Policies On College Campuses". Nursing Clinics of North America 47.1 (2012): 109-117. Web.
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