Smoking and health

Although many millions of Americans smoke, most people do not. The adolescent and adult populations of the U.S have more than twice as many nonsmokers as smokers. Usually smoking begins during the teenage years and it becomes routine later on. Though smokers claim that it helps to reduce their stress, it actually doesn’t. Rather creates more problems to the smoker himself and to others (passive smoking). Studies show that smoking is a major risk factor for all forms of cancer, but its role is more direct and powerful in lung cancer than in other cancers.

Many millions of Americans suffer from CHD (cardiovascular disease) and stroke, and about a third of these cases are related to smoking. Carbon monoxide reduces the availability of oxygen to heart causing damage and leading to atherosclerosis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and increases cardiac output, heart rate as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Other than this, smoking can lead to a broad range of other illnesses particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recurrent smoking irritates and damages respiratory organs. COPD can incapacitate its victims often forcing young individuals to retire from work. The mortality rate from this disease is much higher among smokers than nonsmokers in adulthood.

  

 Health behavior has a preventive function; individuals engage in it to improve or maintain their current good health and avoid illness. But when individuals are healthy, they may not feel inclined to devote the effort and sacrifice that health behavior entails.