THE DANGERS OF TOBACCO SMOKING AMONG THE YOUTH IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. Smoking is a practice in which a substances such as, tobacco, marijuana or cannabis is burned and the smoke tasted or inhaled. It is primarily practiced as a route of administration for recreation drug use, as combustion release the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them available for absorption through the lungs. The tobacco companies have hand in getting people to start smoking because they know that 90 percent (90%) of smokers started smoking when they were younger than 18 years of age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Smoking is associated with several failures such as negative externalities and imperfect information of the smoker. The health consequences of smoking result in huge health care expenses partly paid from public funds. In addition, the cost of medical treatment for smokers inflates health insurance premiums for everyone regardless of smoking participation. Lower labor market productivity is another result of engagement in tobacco consumption. These market failures can justify government interventions in the market for tobacco products. Youth is of particular interest for public policy makers and economists because it is the most effective group to target for smoking prevention programs and because there are some additional externalities associated with youth smoking. Almost all first use of cigarettes occurs during the high school years. At that age, consumers are either not well informed or they do not consciously process information on the health hazards of smoking. At the time, the young people are making a decision about smoking, they may not be fully aware of the health consequences of smoking. Youth typically underestimates the risk of addiction to cigarettes and mistakenly assumes that they can quit easily in a few years. In recent times, tobacco smoking is by far the most popular form of smoking ahead of pipes, cigars and chewing tobacco and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies resulting in nearly 2 billion people, that is athird of the world’s population being exposed to pulmonary tuberculosis pathogen (Philips, 2010; World Health Organization, 2002). Smoking has been shown to be a leading cause of premature mortality and morbidity resulting in several millions of deaths globally. It has been predicted that if the pattern currently seen among youth continues, a lifetime of tobacco use would result in the deaths of 250 million children and young people alive today, most of them in developing countries (WHO, 2012). National Population Commission (2009) submitted that Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in Africa, with an estimated population of 162 million people of which youth are estimated to be more than 30%. In Nigeria, the prevalence of tobacco use among adults (12.3% males<1% in female).  American cancer society (2005) stated that tobacco smoking among the youth is a public health concern because of the immediate and long-term health risks associated with tobacco use such as asthma, chronic cough, chronic obstructive airways disease, cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Adolescent tobacco use has also been linked to other risky health-related behaviours, mental health problems, suicide, motor vehicle accidents, violent crime and even dental problems (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). Furthermore, research on the sequence of drug use suggests that cigarette smoking may serve as a gateway to illicit drugs (Mackay and Eriksen, 2002). Tobacco use in any form is dangerous and addictive and every effort should be made to discourage its use. According to Greaves (2002); Philips (2010), substances that are smoked include: Marijuana (cannabis), Tobacco, Clarified butter (ghee), Fish offal, Dried snake skin, Pastes molded around incence sticks, Ayurveda (for medical purposes), Dhumrapana (drinking smoke). Similarly, USDHHS (2010) hinted that smoked tobacco products which may be cigarettes, pipes, cigars or hand-rolled tobacco are particularly harmful because the burning process releases a dangerous cocktail of about 7,000 chemicals of which about 70 are known carcinogens

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Smoking to so many is an act of enjoyment and fun, as it is observed that the teaming population of smokers is alarming, irrespective of the fact that the tobacco company in collaboration always warn that tobacco smokers are liable to die young and yet the appetite for smoking among Nigerian youth tend to be revitalized. It is on this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the dangers of tobacco smoking among youth in Nigeria.

• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to investigate the dangers of tobacco smoking among Nigeria youth. But for the purposed of the study the researcher set the following objective:

1. To ascertain the dangers of tobacco smoking among the youth
2. To ascertain the relationship between tobacco smoking and health implication

• To ascertain the relationship between smoking and crime

1. To evaluate the impact of tobacco on the physical and mental well-being of the smokers
   • RESEARCH QUESTION

For the successful completion of the study, the following research questions were formulated by the researcher:

1. What are the dangers of smoking among youth?
2. Is there any health implication of smoking?

• Is there any relationship between smoking and crime

1. What are the impact of smoking on the mental well-being of the youth
   • SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is perceived that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of importance to the federal ministry of health as the findings will encouraged them on embarking on more awareness programs on the dangers of smoking, the study will also be of importance to religious bodies who will also benefit on the findings of the study to educate their congregation or followers on the dangers of smoking. The study will also be of great importance to researchers who intend to embark on study on a similar topic. Finally the study will be of great importance to the general public as the will get to know the dangers of smoking.

• SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covers the dangers of tobacco smoking among Nigerian youth. However the study has some limitation to its scope below were some of the limitation to the scope of the study:

1. a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
2. b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher have to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
3. c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Tobacco

Tobacco is a product prepared from the leaves of the tobacco plant by curing them. The plant is part of the genus Nicotiana and of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. While more than 70 species of tobacco are known, the chief commercial crop is N. tabacum. The more potent variant N. rustica is also used around the world.

Nicotine

Nicotine is a potent parasympathomimetic stimulant and an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants. Nicotine acts as a receptor agonist at most nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), except at two nicotinic receptor subunits (nAChRα9 and nAChRα10) where it acts as an receptor antagonist.^[4] Nicotine is found in the leaves of Nicotiana rustica in amounts of 2–14%, the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, Duboisia hopwoodii and Asclepias syriaca

Smoking

Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly the substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant which have been rolled into a small square of rice paper to create a small, round cylinder called a “cigarette“. Smoking is primarily practiced as a route of administration for recreational drug use because the combustion of the dried plant leaves vaporizes and delivers active substances into the lungs where they are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and reach bodily tissue. In the case of cigarette smoking these substances are contained in a mixture of aerosol particles and gasses and include the pharmacologically active alkaloid nicotine; the vaporization creates heated aerosol and gas to form that allows inhalation and deep penetration into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream of the active substances occurs.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study, research question, significance or the study, research methodology, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlight the theoretical framework on which the study its based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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