PATTERNS OF SMOKING AND HEALTH RISK PERCEPTION OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTHS

PATTERNS OF SMOKING AND HEALTH RISK PERCEPTION OF OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTHS

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The effects of smoking and tobacco usage on health cannot be overstated. Cigarette smoking continues to be a major public health issue, ranking as one of the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide (Can, Topbas, Ozuna, Ozgun, Can, & Yavuzyilmaz, 2009; Mpabulungi & Muula, 2004; Salawu, Danburam, Desalu, Olokoba, Agbo, & Midala, 2009; World Health Organisation, 2015).

It is well known that many smokers begin before the age of 18; however, it is interesting to note that there is an increasing trend in smoking prevalence among youths, as well as the likelihood that many of these young people who begin to smoke at a young age will continue to do so throughout adulthood (Adebiyi, Faseru, Sangowawa, & Owoaje, 2010).

Although tobacco use has decreased in many high-income countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, it is increasing in many low- and middle-income countries (Boutayeb & Boutayeb, 2005; Warren, Jones, Eriksen, & Asma, 2006), and tobacco smoking is currently the most popular form of smoking, with over one billion people practicing it in the majority of human societies (Akinpelu, 2015).

Tobacco is the most common hazardous substance, aided by its legal availability, heavy promotion, and widespread consumption. It has been shown to be problematic, including other forms of use other than cigarettes

which is on the rise among adolescents in many countries and is likely to jeopardise progress in reducing chronic diseases and tobacco-related mortality (CDC, 2010; Warren et al., 2006).

The steady rise in tobacco consumption among adolescents is emerging as a complex and multifaceted issue (Soni & Raut, 2012). Melgosa (2006) correctly views tobacco to be a substance with the lowest short-term risk, but one that kills the greatest number of people in the long run.

Cigarette smoking is thought to cause approximately 25 diseases in humans, including ischaemic heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and malignancies of the lung, oral cavity, urinary bladder, pancreas, and larynx (Desalu, Olokoba, Danburam, Salawu, & Issa, 2008).

Over the past four decades, tobacco use has caused an estimated 12 million deaths in the world, including 4.1 million deaths from cancer, 5.5 million deaths from cardiovascular diseases, 2.1 million deaths from respiratory diseases, and 94,000 infant deaths related to mothers smoking during pregnancy (WHO, 2009; Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002; Ekrakene & Igeleke, 2010), and on average, cigarette smokers lose about 15 years of their life.

Tobacco-related deaths are expected to rise from 3 million per year worldwide to 70 million by 2025 (Reddy & Arora, 2005; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).

It has been suggested that adolescents are particularly prone to these effects and may be more likely than adults to acquire a tobacco addiction (Chakraborty, 2009).

Furthermore, if the current trend among youngsters continues, a lifetime of tobacco use is expected to kill 250 million children and young people living today, the majority of whom live in poor countries (WHO, 2012).