Tobacco

Effects

• Respiratory problems such as increased coughing, phlegm, wheezing, chest colds and shortness of breath.
• Serious ailments such as bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, strokes, heart attacks, ulcers, ear infections, osteoporosis and impotence.
• Asthma attacks or increased asthma symptoms.
• Dental problems such as yellow teeth, gum disease, tooth decay and tooth loss.
• Dulled sense of smell and taste.
• Cold fingers and toes.
• Zits –It takes longer for a smoker’s acne to heal.
• Hair loss –even for some teens.
• Low sperm count: Even teenage smokers have fewer than half as many sperm per ejaculate as non-smokers.
• Premature wrinkling and related signs of premature aging.
• Infertility, sudden infant death syndrome and low birth-weight babies.

Statistics and Trends

• On average, smokers lose 15 years of life.
• Tobacco kills 1,200 people A DAY.
• Researchers estimate that 50% of smokers who began smoking when they were young will die of a smoking related illness.
• Smokers have more colds than non-smokers because their bodies aren’t as efficient at clearing out germs.
• Four out of five lung cancers are caused by smoking.
• Nine out of 10 people who get lung cancer die from the disease, usually within two years of diagnosis.
• More people die from smoking than from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and other drugs COMBINED.

In Kenya, the current usage of tobacco products is 8.6% it is largely limited to males. Data shows that 16.8% of the males are current users of tobacco products. This contrasts sharply with 2.1% of the females. Across regions, data is overwhelming in pointing at men as the critical users of tobacco products. Central region leads with 22.6% of the males interviewed reporting that they use tobacco products. This is closely followed by Nairobi at 22.5%. For females, Eastern region leads with 5.7% of the females interviewed reporting that they use tobacco products.