Smoking statistics in Great Britain - Essay Example

?DRAFT Smoking statistics in Great Britain Smoking statistics in Great Britain Smoking is incontestably one of the dangerous habits that impose great danger to both smokers and non-smokers. The issue of smoking is a very important matter that needs keen observation due to its worldwide effect. Apart from health problems, smoking also affects the economy of the countries since there are several great hardworking citizens who regularly lost their lives due to smoking. Most governments in the world set big budgets to fight smoking habits instead of using the funds in other sectors that can improve the general lifestyles of their citizens. It is therefore paramount to address smoking and other smoking related issues, as we tend to head to a smoking free world with an intention of saving our lives and economies. This piece of writing features the burning issue of smoking in UK. According to Cancer research in UK, tobacco was initially introduced in UK in the 16th century where it was being smoked in pipes, which later turned to snuff taking and cigar smoking. There has been a record increase in smokers among men since its introduction especially in 1945. Smoking in UK involves both men and women but the number of men smokers are more compared to woman. Smoking is not a common habit among women as compared to men. According to Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) which gave statistical report regarding smoking such as prevalence, habits , attitudes, NHS costs and deaths from smoking related diseases current smokers smoked average of 12.7 cigarettes per day where 20% of the smokers were adults who were aged 16 and over. The report also found that 25% of pupils aged 11 to 15 had tried smoking where as 5% were regular smokers. The number of adult smokers in UK reduced from 39% in 1980 to 20% in 2010 where those aged 20-34 reported the highest prevalence rate of about 27% and adults aged 60 and above reported the lowest prevalence of 13% in 2010. The majority of smokers begin smoking at teenage and the addiction intensifies when they become adults and at this stage, it becomes very difficult to quit the habit. People smoke for different reasons such as the need for adolescent to look mature, peer influence and finally to try out. The fact that most old people such as parents and relatives smoke, lures the children also to smoke so that they can also look mature. Children may at times be involved in smoking if they see their friends and their peers smoke perhaps to be accepted. People have the tendency of experimenting prohibited things so that they can actually find out the reason for it being outlawed. Parents and the government normally prohibit smoking among children hence making the children sneak away and smoke. It is however interesting to note that grown-ups smoke for some reasons different from the children such as relieving them from stress and pressures due to economic or personal problems. Adults feel that smoking make them feel relaxed or boost their energy as they undergo difficulties such as family burdens or relationship challenges. Adolescent stage is the right age of ascertaining whether a child will be a heavy smoker or not by paying much attention on their behaviors. Smoking vs Demography Marital status according to the HSCIC, plays a significant role in smoking where most smokers are reported to be either divorced, separated or unmarried. However, single people are not likely to be chain smokers as it is in the case of the separated and the divorced individuals who take most of their time smoking due to frustrations. The married people are said to be less likely to smoke compared to the unmarried and widowed individuals. Smoking Vs Socioeconomic It is fascinating that the degree of smoking also depends on socioeconomic class where the people in the manual and routine groups were found to comprise of heavy smokers compared to people in the management and specialized groups. Most people in the higher socioeconomic class smoke cigars with filters especially women unlike the other people in the lower class who smoke rolled cigars. Perhaps, some of the reasons that compelled the lower socioeconomic group to smoke is the fact that most of them face different economic problems such as taking full responsibility of their families by fully providing for their food, better school for their children and better healthcare for their families. Smoking has created a wide gap between the people who are socioeconomically stable and the people in the lower ladder of socioeconomic rank especially in the area of life expectancy. Most people in the lower socioeconomic status are attacked by cancer related illness compared to the other partners who are in the upper side of the socioeconomic status. Smoking Vs Expenditure The total household expenses on tobacco has largely increased from 4.8 billion to 18.3 billion pounds from 1980 to 2011 respectively but the proportion on tobacco expenditure in relation to the total household spending has decreased from 3.6% to 2.0% in the same period. It was surprising that UK families spent approximately 18.3 billion pounds in 2011. The governments and different organizations in the United Kingdom are spending huge amount of money on campaigns that are directed towards stopping the habit. The Smokers Behaviors and Attitudes It was reported that most heavy smokers are not likely to stop the habit and could not even go for a day without smoking compared to the light smokers who would at least stop smoking and some could go for a day without smoking. Some serious smokers do not love the habit of smoking and would stop smoking if possible because of medical reasons, financial problems, children health, and family pressure. A large number of smokers both men and women, in UK have attempted many times to stop smoking simply because they are disgusted or due to other factors and have even gone further to seek advice from the experts.. The people in the higher socioeconomic status were reported to be more likely to go without smoking compared to the smokers in the lower. A good number of smokers understand the effect of second hand smoking effects such as asthma and other lungs problems hence do not allow smoking in their homes or near their children. The smokers have therefore come up with other ways of smoking so as not to affect even the non smokers who do not love the idea of someone smoking near them either because of the tobaccos bad smell or for medical reasons. Smoking Vs Smoking Effects Smoking has very serious costs both to the government and to the individual smokers such as death and hospital admissions. Several costly campaigns tend to teach the public about dangers of smoking all over the country. Smoking costs approximately 5.5% of the total healthcare costs in UK. These costs include treatment costs for the tobacco related diseases and exclude costs related to non-smokers who have been affected by smoking, time wasted due to smoke related illness and death. UK reported almost 1.53 million cases of admissions for adults aged 35 and above due to tobacco related problems in 2010/2011 where circulatory diseases comprised of the bigger number followed by cancer. The smoking related illness was high in both men and women but more prevalent in men by accounting for 55% of men. Smoking caused cancers of the trachea, lung, bronchus, larynx, esophagus and upper respiratory sites and mostly chronic obstructive lung disease, which had the highest percentage of almost 86%. A huge number of adults aged 35 and above die due to the death caused by smoking, in fact a fifth of deaths in these age bracket are attributed to smoking. A larger percentage of these deaths were amongst men compared to women and chronic obstructive lung diseases followed by trachea, lung, and bronchus cancer caused most of the deaths. Smoking amongst the UK is also regionally distributed where the highest number of smokers is found in both Scotland and Wales than in the North West, Yorkshire, and the Humber. The majority of large smokers are found in low and middle-income regions causing smoking related illness and death in those particular regions. This study is very important since it addresses social problems brought about by tobacco smoking by providing a range of information that is got from different sources. It covers very important smoking related issues in UK. It is in fact clear that most current smokers in UK who have smoked large number of tobacco throughout their lives are at risk of dying from the several smoking related illness such as lung cancer. Lung cancer is very common among most UK citizens due to the habit of smoking as the government also spends billions of pounds on tobacco risks rather than other significant matters. It is therefore advisable for most of the heavy smokers to stop the habit in order to save their lives and concentrate on other issue that can improve their lives. Works Cited HUNTER, D. J. (2008). The health debate. Bristol [England], Policy Press. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=-YE7k-3o6mQC&pg=PA166&dq=smoking+and+its+effect+in+uk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0BtdUfG9MseIOKuDgJgE&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=smoking%20and%20its%20effect%20in%20uk&f=false NHS - Focus on Health - Campaign aims to expose the true cost of smoking 2013, , Darlington (UK), United Kingdom, Darlington (UK). http://search.proquest.com/business/docview/1271859715/13D39350BDB1DFF2FB9/4?accountid=45049.....sop cigar campaign 2013 p 20 GRIMMETT, C., BRIDGEWATER, J., STEPTOE, A. and WARDLE, J., 2011. Lifestyle and quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors. Quality of Life Research, 20(8), pp. 1237-45. http://search.proquest.com/business/docview/893400068/13D39350BDB1DFF2FB9/19?accountid=45049 Read More