QUIT SMOKING!

The past centuries smoking has been accepted in the society without any commotions as it has been practiced by many as means of recreation. Interestingly though, tobacco was also considered to have some medical properties that could improve concentration and performance, and also to enhanced mood. However, in today’s time, science has reached many heights and studied the devastating effect of tobacco. According to 2009 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) over 17.5 million of Filipinos smoke daily and this habit contributes to an outbreak of diseases which brings thousands of death a year. Health experts say tobacco contains over 60 known cancer-causing chemicals. Smoking is also related to several other diseases of the lungs. Emphysema and bronchitis are the two fatal lung diseases that accounts for 75% deaths that are linked to smoking as World Health Organization estimated. Tobacco smoking has also lethal effects to those around the smoker. People who breathe in secondhand smoke regularly are more likely to get the same diseases as smokers have. In particular, children and babies are very susceptible as their internal organs are still underdeveloped. It is perhaps alarming for those pregnant women to have frequent exposure of passive smokes as their unborn babies may be endangered to acquire lifelong health complications or worst would be the sudden infant death syndrome. Yet, even these dilemmas there are numerous ways to address it, in both general and nonspecific intervention. The first one is public health educational campaigns against tobacco these strategies though comes under the duty of government. A formal program held in school, clinic, health center and hospitals is an utmost method to disseminate information about effects of smoking on health. For nonspecific intervention, the government can also support to increase the tobacco cessation counseling in all health care setting in either structured-smoking cessation program in forms of group of one-on-one counseling. The plan should include avoiding and managing situations that might stimulate a craving for a cigarette and therefore trigger a relapse to smoking. Moreover, the Tobacco Regulation Act that bans smoking must also be strengthened or the least option would be to banned the distribution and selling of tobacco products to decrease the morbidity and mortality rate in Philippines due to smoking. Every cigarette or tobacco that smokes shortens the smoker’s life, but it does more than that smokers can also affect the nation’s health as a whole. So, a public advisory of smoking and the effective smoking cessation strategy must be highly given attention.