Tobacco Smoking – Major Public Health Threat in Asian Countries

Death rates due to smoking continue to rise in Asian men as per a large pooled data analysis of 20 studies across six major Asian nations and this tobacco epidemic can pose a major public health threat if not addressed promptly.

Highlights:

Mortality rates due to tobacco smoking continue to rise in Asia and smoking associated problems may soon become a major public health threat if appropriate control measures are not implemented soon
More than 7 million deaths across the world are related to tobacco each year. The number of tobacco-related deaths is expected to rise to 8.3 million by 2030, with low and middle-income countries accounting for a major proportion of this increase
Currently, nearly 50 percent of male smokers are from three Asian nations namely China, India and Indonesia. Asia has the dubious distinction of being the world’s biggest tobacco producer as well as consumer

Tobacco-related deaths continue to rise among Asian men and will pose a major public health concern if urgent strict and comprehensive policy measures are not implemented according to a recent large meta-analysis of pooled data from over 20 studies across China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and India.

Why smoking can kill you
Every cigarette you smoke is causing irreversible damage to your body; slowly killing you from the inside. It also endangers those around you, your family and children.

‘Asia is the hub of the global tobacco epidemic with the increasing number of men smoking, beginning to smoke at a younger age, as well as smoking more heavily. These trends pose a significant public health risk with serious consequences unless strict and comprehensive tobacco control measures are implemented by governments and health officials.’
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Design of Study

The current study aims to estimate tobacco smoking patterns and the mortality rates in birth cohorts (persons born during a similar period of time) attributable to tobacco smoking in Asian populations.

The analysis included 1,002,258 participants who were Asian smokers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and India
Mortality rates were assessed according to birth cohort groups, i.e. men born in a similar period namely before 1920, during the 1920s, and 1930s and later
Data including age at starting smoking, number of cigarettes per day and age of quitting were obtained from all participants
The participants were followed up for an average duration of 12 years

Smoking among Women / Rise in Tobacco Usage in Women
Tobacco use in women is on the rise. The health risks of tobacco are far too many has never done a woman any good psychologically or health-wise.

Key Findings of the Study

There were 144,366 deaths (with 9,158 from lung cancer) among 1002258 participants during an average follow-up of almost 12 years
Tobacco smoking accounted for 12.5 percent of total deaths and 56.6 percent of lung cancer deaths in men born before 1920
Among those born in the 1920s, tobacco deaths accounted for 21.1 percent of total deaths and 66.6 percent of lung cancer deaths
Among men born in 1930 or later, tobacco accounted for 29.3 percent of total deaths and 68.4 percent of lung cancer deaths

Thus, the findings of the study suggest that tobacco-related deaths continue to rise in each successive birth cohorts, a finding reported from earlier studies as well from Asia and Western countries.

Men belonging to more recent birth cohorts tend to start smoking earlier and smoke more cigarettes compared to men from an earlier period. Also, men in the most recent birth cohort tended to quit at an earlier age, perhaps due to intervention policies
Despite the rising tobacco epidemic in Asian men, it is interesting to note that in comparison Western men begin to smoke earlier and smoke more heavily than Asian men
In Asian countries, other background risk factors (i.e, household and outdoor air pollution and secondhand smoke) are major influencers in lung cancer mortality

Smoking Just 'One' Cigarette May Up Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke
Smoking just one cigarette doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke in both men and women and is equal to the risk of smoking 20 cigarettes.

Adverse Effects of Smoking & Tobacco Use

Tobacco in any form is harmful, in particular, inhaling tobacco smoke carries serious risks and exposes persons to over 7000 lethal agents and at least 70 carcinogens, and affects the whole body. Typically, a regular smoker loses over 10 years of his life. Some of the health hazards of smoking include the following:

Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Oral cavity and nasal cavity cancers
Urinary tract cancers
Cervical cancer in women
Heart attacks
Peripheral vascular disease and gangrene
Cataracts and blindness
Wrinkling of skin and premature aging
Gum disease, teeth discoloration and plaque formation
Poor wound healing
Injuries due to accidental cigarette burns
Fires caused by carelessly tossing burning cigarettes

Quit Smoking to Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
Prolonged smoking cessation may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). So, quit smoking to prevent rheumatoid arthritis.

Ways to Control the Growing Tobacco Epidemic

Strict tobacco control policies should be implemented by governments
Increase taxes on tobacco and raise the price of tobacco products
Enforce strict smoking bans with costly fines and punishment for offenders
Discourage or even ban the advertisement of tobacco products on mass media
Accessible and affordable health care for persons wishing to quit smoking or tobacco use
Place warnings and deterrent messages on cigarette packs

Summary

Smoking-related deaths among Asian men continue to rise rapidly and will soon pose a significant health hazard if not addressed urgently. Strict measures need to be implemented but at the end of the day the only way to put an end to this tobacco epidemic in Asia is to quit smoking.

Reference:

Tobacco Smoking and Mortality in Asia - (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.1474)

Source-Medindia