Earlier this month, the results of a survey conducted by Jean Francois Etter of the Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Geneva, suggest that smokers may be using electronic cigarettes to help them quit smoking.
The survey was conducted over the internet in 2009, and involved 81 present and former e-cigarette users. Participants responded to a series of open-ended questions regarding their usage and attitudes towards e-cigarettes. The average participant had been using the e cigarette for three months.
Those surveyed cited several desirable effects of e-cigarettes. The most common response was that the device helps them to quit smoking. Other commonly cited benefits include: an overall improvement in their health and physical fitness as result of refraining from smoking tobacco, i.e. respondents coughed less, it improved breathing and respiration, and it did not cause unpleasant odors or bad breath.
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Earlier this month, the results of a survey conducted by Jean Francois Etter of the Institute of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Geneva, suggest that smokers may be using electronic cigarettes to help them quit smoking.
The survey was conducted over the internet in 2009, and involved 81 present and former e-cigarette users. Participants responded to a series of open-ended questions regarding their usage and attitudes towards e-cigarettes. The average participant had been using the e cigarette for three months.
Those surveyed cited several desirable effects of e-cigarettes. The most common response was that the device helps them to quit smoking. Other commonly cited benefits include: an overall improvement in their health and physical fitness as result of refraining from smoking tobacco, i.e. respondents coughed less, it improved breathing and respiration, and it did not cause unpleasant odors or bad breath.
It is a well known fact that smoking or using smokeless chewing tobacco can wreak havoc on a person’s health and well being. To date, researchers have identified over 4,000 chemicals and additives in cigarette smoke, 81 of which are known carcinogens.
Thus, it is no surprise that a smoker’s oral health is compromised with every puff on a cigarette or chew of tobacco The mouth is, after all, the first point of contact for tobacco within the body of the smoker or tobacco chewer.
So what does all this tobacco use do to your mouth? Here’s a rundown:
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Historically, cigarette advertisements have embraced outlandish, shocking, and often controversial images and ideas. Just check out my earlier post on vintage cigarette ads. But sometimes the advert attempts can get a little strange. Consider these examples of weird cigarette packages:
1. “Ice Mint” Marlboros? Huh? I get how beer and cigarettes go together. But what does this all have to do with a cowboy drinking coffee?
2. ”Blossom and Decay”… A sweet couple or a decaying skull- which one do you see? And why would this make someone want to smoke?
3. ”Sex” …You’d think that with a name like that, there’s so much potential… But a green snake? So disappointing…
4. Yes, that’s a real cell phone being sold in China! (Those are real cigarettes as well…) Who would actually buy this?
5. OK, so the idea of putting a well-known movie poster on package sure to still up emotion. But perhaps”Titanic” is not the best choice. Or is it?
6. For those who appreciate a more straightforward approach… There’s always the Ukraine-based Black Death.
7. And if you fail to get the message with that one, then there’s “Smoke thy last.” This pack is coffin-shaped and has one last cigarette…
Sources:
http://www.weirdworm.com/10-most-bizarre-cigarette-packages/
http://technabob.com/blog/2009/11/14/cigarette-pack-mobile-phone/
http://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/04/11/cigarettes-beer-japanese-win/
Over the past decade, numerous countries around the world have initiated an array of anti-smoking campaigns that include smoking bans, anti-smoking legislation and taxation, as well as the establishment of government-backed smoking cessation programs. But the prevalence of smoking remains widespread even in the countries with the most progressive anti-smoking campaigns. The following is a breakdown of the percentage of smokers within several countries based on the most recent statistics:
But First, Some Worldwide Smoking Facts:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than two thirds of the world’s smokers live in just 10 countries: Chine, India, Indonesia, Russia, US, Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany, Turkey.
About 1.8 billion young people aged of 10 to 24 smoke cigarettes, according to the WHO, and more than 85 percent of these young smokers live in developing countries.
Source: http://www.inforesearchlab.com/internationalsmokingfacts.chtml
Smoking Percentages According to Region:
USA:
In the United States, an estimated 24.8 million men (23.1 percent) and 21.1 million women (18.3 percent) are smokers. The latest estimates for persons age 18 and older show:
Source: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 2008, National Center for Health Statistics
Canada
In 2005, slightly fewer than 5 million Canadians aged 15 and older were smokers—19% of the population.
In 2005 smoking among Canadian youth, aged 15-19 years, remained unchanged from the same period last year at 18% (about 385,000 youth).
Of Ontarians, in the 15-19 year-old age bracket, 16% were surveyed as being current smokers.
In Canada, 5 million people smoke or 17 percent, according to the Ministry of Health.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society
Philippines:
In the Philippines, 28 percent of the adult population (age 15+) smoke tobacco. Almost half of men (48 percent) and 9 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15) 17.5 percent smoke cigarettes (boys 23 percent; girls 12 percent) and 8 percent currently use tobacco products other than cigarettes (boys 8 percent; girls 7 percent).
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Poland:
Approximately a third (32 percent) of the population in Poland smokes cigarettes, with an estimated 38 percent of men and 26 percent of women who smoke. Among youth (age 13-15), nearly 19 percent smoke cigarettes, and 7 percent use tobacco products other than cigarettes.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
England:
In 2007 around a fifth (22%) of men (aged 16 and over) were reported as smokers, and the percentage of women who smoke decreased to 20% from previous years.
In 2007 around 9.5 million adults in Britain smoke cigarettes, but an additional one million people smoke pipes or cigars.
Sources:
General Household Survey: Smoking and drinking among adults 2007, Office for National Statistics. 2008.
ASH, factsheet no:1. Smoking statistics: Who smokes and how much. 2007.
France:
In 2007, approximately 20 percent of the French population smoked cigarettes. This is down from 45 percent some 15 years ago largely due to a public smoking ban that began to take effect in 2006.
Source: Spiegel Online
Greece:
Approximately 42 percent of Greece’s population smokes and 20,000 people a year die from cigarette-related diseases, costing the health ministry more than two billion euros.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Italy:
In Italy, between 14 and 16 million people smoke out of a total population of 58 million. In 2004, more than 26 percent of Italians smoked. That dropped to 24.3 percent in 2006 following the country’s ban on January 10, 2005.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
China:
China has the world’s biggest population of smokers (about 350 million), and is also a powerhouse for tobacco output and sales. Approximately one-third of adults in China smoke (31 percent). Smoking rates are much higher among men than women; an estimated 57 percent of men and 3 percent of women smoke. Among 14 year olds, 11 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls smoke. In China, even the 60 percent of doctors smoke.
Sources:
sify.com/
Inforesearchlab.com
Japan:
In Japan, about a quarter of adults smoke. The number of Japanese smokers has been on the decline since 1996. Smokers in their teens account for 14.3 percent of the population, while 32.7 percent of those age 60 and up smoked, according to the annual survey by Japan Tobacco Inc, Japan’s largest tobacco maker. Japanese men’s smoking rate is currently 38.9 percent., whereas Japanese women’s smoking rate is 11.9 percent.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
India:
There are over 120 million smokers in India, and this number is expect to rise. Approximately one-third of adults (age 15-49) use some form of tobacco, including more than half of men (57 percent) and 11 percent of women. Among youth (age 13-15), 4 percent smoke cigarettes and almost 12 percent use other types of tobacco products. Bidis, cheap hand-rolled cigarettes, are the most popular tobacco product used in India, accounting for 53 percent of tobacco sales, according to the Bidi Smoking and Public Health report by the Union Ministry of Health and Family.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Russia:
Russia has one of the world’s highest smoking rates. The government says 44 million Russians smoke, a third of the population. An estimated 60 percent of all Russian men and 17 percent of women smoke. Russia has one of the highest male smoking rates in the world and one of the highest youth smoking rates in Eastern Europe (boys 27 percent; girls 24 percent).
Sources:
http://www.rferl.org
Tobacco Free Kids
Thailand:
Approximately 27 percent of the population in Thailand use some form of tobacco: 46 percent of men and 9 percent of women use tobacco. Among youth (age 13-15), 12 percent smoke cigarettes and 8 percent use tobacco products other than cigarettes.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Turkey:
Almost one-third (31 percent) of the population in Turkey smoke, and rates of tobacco use are rising. Almost one-half of men (48 percent) and 15 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15), 7 percent currently smoke cigarettes and 3 percent of youth currently use tobacco products other than cigarettes. Nargile smoking, or waterpipe smoking — the most traditional form of smoking tobacco in Turkey — is increasing in popularity.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Ukraine:
Approximately 16.5 million Ukrainians smoke. Over two-thirds of males (67 percent) and one-fifth of females (20 percent) smoke. Smoking prevalence among Ukrainian men is among the highest in the world. Among youth (age 13-15), almost one-fourth (24 percent) currently smoke cigarettes.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Vietnam:
In Vietnam, approximately one-fourth of the adult population smokes (25 percent). Nearly half of men (49 percent) and 2 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15), 3 percent currently smoke cigarettes and 1 percent use other forms of tobacco products.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Australia
In Australia, 19 percent of the population smokes, down from a high of 34 percent in 1980. According to a Auckland University survey, 32 percent of students tried smoking in 2007 (8 percent of the student population).
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Brazil:
In Brazil, approximately 17 percent of adults smoke. One-fifth of men (22 percent) and 13 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15) in Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil, 12 percent currently smoke cigarettes, including 9 percent of boys and 13 percent of girls.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Bangladesh
Approximately 43 percent of adults in Bangladesh use tobacco. Smoking rates are much higher among men than women; an estimated 45 percent of men and 1.5 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15), 2 percent smoke cigarettes and 6 percent use tobacco products other than cigarettes. Bidis, account for 75 percent of the cigarettes sold in Bangladesh.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Indonesia:
One-third of Indonesians smoke (34 percent), with 63 percent of men and 5 percent of women smoking some form of tobacco. Among youth (age 13-15), 12 percent smoke, including 24 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls. The majority of smokers in Indonesia (88 percent) smoke kreteks, clove-flavored cigarettes.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Mexico:
Approximately one-fifth (19 percent) of the population 20 years of age and older smokes. Almost one-third of men (30 percent) and a tenth of women (9.5 percent) smoke. Among youth (age 13-15) in Mexico City, over 27 percent smoke cigarettes with little difference between genders (boys 26 percent; girls 27 percent).
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Pakistan:
In Pakistan, 19 percent of adults (age 18+) smoke tobacco. Almost one-third (32 percent of men and 6 percent of women smoke. Among youth (age 13-15) in Islamabad, 1 percent smoke cigarettes (boys 2 percent; girls 0.6 percent) and 9.5 percent use tobacco products other than cigarettes (boys 11 percent; girls 7 percent).
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Egypt:
Almost 20 percent of Egyptians use tobacco. Rates are much higher among men: 38 percent of men and 0.6 percent of women use some form of tobacco. Among youth (age 13-15), 4 percent smoke cigarettes (boys 6 percent; girls 1 percent) and 10 percent use tobacco products other than cigarettes (boys 12 percent; girls 7 percent). Common forms of tobacco used include cigarettes, shisha, and cigars.
Source: Tobacco Free Kids
Iran:
In Iran, there are more than 10 million smokers (or about 14 percent of the population), consisting of mostly men. The average smoker goes through 14 cigarettes a day.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Saudi Arabia:
In Saudi Arabia, an estimated 35 to 40 percent of those above the age of 15 smoke. Around 24 percent of 13 to 15 year old male students smoke.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Syria:
In Syria with nearly 20 million people, up to 60 percent of men and 24 percent of women smoke, according to a report by an official Syrian tobacco institution (the state news agency SANA). Around 26 billion Syrian pounds (600 million dollars) is spent on tobacco and cigarettes by smokers each year.
Source: Inforesearchlab.com
Israel:
According to the Israeli Health Ministry, in Israel, 24.2 percent of the population smoke. This includes 32.3 percent of all Israeli men, compared to 16 percent of the women.
The rates differ between the Jewish and Arab populations, with 23.2 percent of Jews and 29.7 percent of Arabs describing themselves as smokers. Also, in both sectors men smoke more than women, with the gap significantly larger in the Arab population: 28.1 percent of Jewish men and 18.7 of Jewish women, compared to 54.1 percent of Arab men and only 4.8 percent of Arab women.
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/
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For those who are looking to kick the habit there are numerous quit smoking books that can help you along the way offering a healthy dose of advice, education, personal accounts, and inspiration on living a smoke-free life. Below is a list of quitting smoking related books that are definitely worth checking out:
1. The Easy Way to Stop Smoking (Jan. 2005) and The Little Book of Quitting by Allen Carr (Dec. 7, 2000)
Allen Carr, a former 100 cigarette a day chain smoker, debunks many of the myths of smoking. He examines reasons why people take up the habit and why they continue, as well as why many attempts to quit smoking ultimately fail. Carr offers a step-by-step approach to stop smoking by addressing the psychological need to smoke and reveals how to handle withdrawal symptoms and moments of temptation.
2. The Enlightened Smoker’s Guide to Quittingby B. Jack Gebhardt (Apr. 1, 2008).
Gebhardt, a smoking cessation coach, offers a feel good, 7 step program to quit smoking. Stop smoking without conjuring up feelings of guilt, shame, or frustration.
3. The Smoke Stops Here! by Jim Lacey (Jan. 2004)
This book contains a powerful one-two punch of informative smoking facts interspersed between a series of poignant, fictional stories depicting the lives of smokers. Even just for its uniqueness, this book deserves a read.
4. Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forwardby James O. Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClemente (Sept. 1, 1995)
This book focuses on bad habits in general, and is based on the authors’ personal experience and research working with people possessing addictive or undesirable behaviours. It then breaks down the character traits and processes that are typically involved in successfully changing one’s behaviour
5. You Can Stop Smoking by Jacquelyn Rogers (Mar. 1, 1995)
This “smoker-friendly” guide to quitting smoking was written by Jacquelyn Rogers, a former two-pack-a day smoker for 20 years and the founder of the cesatation smoking group, SmokEnders.
6. Stop Smoking and Chewing Tobacco for Life Changes by David L. Johnson and Carole A. Johnson (Dec. 26, 2000)
This hands-on, self-instructional workbook is packed with techniques, exercises, useful information and resources to help smokers and tobacco chewers break free from their addiction and walk away more self-actualized.
7. American Lung Association 7 Steps to a Smoke-Free Life by Edwin B. Fisher (Mar. 30, 1998)
Though this book may be missing the “personal touch” and uniquess of the other books on this list, it is nonetheless a well thought out and thourogh guide to becoming smoke free.
8. I’ve Got This Friend Who: Advice for Teens and Their Friends on Alcohol, Drugs, Eating Disorders, Risky Behavior and Moreby KidsPeace and Anna Radev (Oct. 23, 2007)
Created by KidsPeace, a nonprofit organization offering assistance to children and families in crisis, this book is not specifically directed at quiting smoking, but targets a wide range of destructive behaviors of which smoking is included. It is written by teens for teens, and offers a powerful collection of information, resources, and powerful short stories.
9. The Healthy Guide to Unhealthy Living: How to Survive Your Bad Habitsby Dr. David J. Clayton and Laura Vanderkam (Dec. 27, 2005)
This book is probably the most shocking one on the list. Geared towards twenty-somethings who enjoy a fast-paced, partying lifestyle, this is a blunt, no-nonsense manual for minimizing the negative impact of unhealthy life choices. But, the book also boasts plenty of information for why one should avoid these choices in the first place.
10. Cassius Cheong’s Positively Quit Manual: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Stop Smoking by Cassius Cheong (Mar. 1, 2010)
A quit smoking manual for the rational mind with plenty of information, advice, and techniques to help smokers break free from their habit.
New research suggests that the electric cigarette can be an effective smoking alternative.
In a study recently published in the British medical journal, BMJ, researchers in New Zealand measured the effects of smoking an electric cigarette both on the desire to smoke regular cigarettes and on nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The performance of the e-cigarette (loaded with 16 mg of nicotine) was measured against regular cigarettes, a nicotine inhaler (also with 16mg of nicotine), and a “placebo” ( an e-cig with an empty nicotine cartridge).
A group of 40 cigarette smokers used the devices after abstaining for a night. Their craving relief was then rated throughout the day as well as a series of subjective, smoking-related symptoms and overall experience.
The researchers discovered that the 16mg e-cigarette significantly reduced the desire to smoke and placated typical withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and lack of concentration, more then the placebo e-cig. The product was also deemed more pleasant to use then the inhaler and produced fewer unwanted side effects.
According to a study recently conducted by Dr. Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychiatry and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQ scores than their non-smoking peers.
In the study, considered the largest ever of its kind, researchers culled data from more than 20,000 18- to 21-year-old men enlisted in the Israeli army. They discovered that the average IQ for a non-smoker was 101, while smokers averaged around 94. The IQs of heavy smokers- i.e. those who smoked more than a pack a day- averaged even lower at 90.
According to Dr. Weiser, the link between IQ and smoking may be an indication of the ability of those with a lower IQ to make healthy life choices. “People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health,” he states. This idea is further supported by another recent study conducted in Scotland that investigated the link between IQ, heart disease and traditional heart risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking.
Smoking may not actually lower one’s God-given intelligence, as some popular media sites were quick to claim (consider that many famous “geniuses” were known to smoke: Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Edwin Hubble, George Orwell). But it may well be an indication of one’s ability to make responsible, healthy decisions in life.
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Over the past couple of years, smoking bans have sprung up across the U.S. with a fury targeting a variety of restaurants, bars, retail outlets, workplaces and public spaces. It has become quite common to see huddled groups of smokers relegated to rooftops and street alleys, or in some cases they holed up indoors and are hardly seen at all.
But as anti-smoking sentiment picks up steam the bans are becoming increasingly restrictive- even targeting the inner sanctum of a smoker’s home.
The question is how do smokers feel about all these anti-smoking policies on top of the recent spate of tobacco tax increases and the ever-present and persistent anti-smoking lobby? And what about non-smokers?
According to a Gallop poll conducted in June of last year, the majority of Americans (52%)- both smokers and non-smokers alike- disapprove of legislation that would expand the federal government’s ability to regulate the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products. Moreover, a mere 17% of Americans would want to see smoking totally outlawed.
This sentiment comes at a time when smoking among Americans is at an all time low. According to those surveyed only 20% responded that they had smoked a cigarette in the past week.
How could this be? Perhaps the government is seen as going a bit too far in its anti-smoking crusade and sacrificing some valued American ideals in the process.
Many surveys have been carried out to understand better smokers and their habits. Here are a few key findings from a collection of surveys taken over the last few years.
The first survey carried out online had 160 respondents of whom 79% were smokers. The results show that while smokers understand that many cities have laws prohibiting them from smoking in public and enclosed spaces, they feel that this is an infringement on their rights as a citizen and they do not want other people making their decisions for them. Only 14% were alright with the ban, while a massive 68% had issues with the ban. 71% of smokers feel that there should be smoking sections in public places and enclosed areas while 12% felt that this should only happen if the smoking area is located outside. 67% of respondents also said that if they could, they would make laws about smoking less strict.
However, other surveys have also shown that a majority of smokers want to quit smoking. While this percentage varies from country to country – 84% in Sweden to 40% in Germany – smokers also felt that their doctors should tell them to stop smoking. While this might seem odd, the response makes more sense when read alongside the fact that only 34% of smokers have been told to stop smoking by a doctor. This shows that if doctors took a more proactive role in their patients care and encouraged smokers to stop smoking, many people might actually kick the habit.
These two surveys show that while smokers generally want to have less interference in their smoking habits from the public, they would not mind a healthcare provider from telling them to stop. This is probably due to the importance people give to advice they receive from their doctors as compared to the respect they might have for the laws in their countries, or the governments that make them. This is very interesting as governments could use doctors to try and reduce the number of smokers by starting national programs where doctors got more involved with smokers and counseled them rather than trying to make more and more laws that not only limit, but also irritate, those who smoke.
Sources:
http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/87863/results
http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/10/suppl_3/5
http://cigarresearch.com/Site/WCSS.html
When it comes to deciding whether to smoke an e-cigarette versus a tobacco product, it’s a no-brainer. E-Cigarettes are just better.
1. No more smelly clothes. The smoke produced by an e-cigarette is virtually odorless.
2. No more yellow teeth. E-smokes do not produce tar- the sticky brownish substance that turns a smoker’s teeth yellow.
3. No more bad breath. Smoking a e-cigarette won’t change the smell of your breath.
4. No more burn holes in your clothes. Since nothing is actually lit, the e-cigarette is not the fire hazard that a tobacco cigarette is. Save your clothes, your furniture, and the forest.
5. No more second-hand smoke. The smoke produced by an e-cigarette is actually not smoke at all. It is the same propylene glycol-based vapor used in theater productions.
6. No more exposure to the 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. Do you know that every time you light a tobacco cigarette you are exposing yourself and others to over 4000 harmful chemicals?
7. Adjust the nicotine levels. With e-cigarettes, you have the ability to manually adjust the amount of nicotine that you take in by purchasing cartridges of different strengths.
8. Reduce the environmental impact. No cigarette butts, no ash, no paper needed to create them. E-cigarettes have less of an environmental impact.
9. Be a part of society again. Many places that ban regular cigarette usage allow e-cigarettes.
10. Save money. For regular smokers, switching to an e cigarette can be a significantly cheaper option.