Tobacco Facts and Health Consequences

Tobacco: Key Facts and Consequences

• Tobacco kills up to half of its users, causing more than 8 million deaths each year, including 1.3 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
• Around 80% of the world's 1.3 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
• In 2020, 22.3% of the world's population used tobacco, with 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women being smokers.

Consequences on Health

• Smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 2-4 times and stroke by 2-4 times.
• Smoking increases the risk of developing lung cancer by 25 times and is the leading cause of lung cancer (90% of deaths).
• Smoking increases the risk of chronic bronchitis and emphysema (COPD), making it 13 times more likely to die than non-smokers.
• Even smoking fewer than five cigarettes a day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease.

Economic Costs

• Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs to tobacco.
• The economic costs of tobacco use are substantial, including significant healthcare costs and lost human capital due to tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality.
• The costs of smoking have been estimated to drain around $1.4 trillion from the global economy in a single year.

MPOWER

• Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies are crucial for effective tobacco control.
• Protecting people from tobacco smoke through completely smoke-free indoor public places and workplaces can help reduce tobacco use.
• Offering help to quit tobacco use through behavioral interventions, nicotine replacement therapy, and pharmacological interventions can increase the chances of quitting successfully.
• Warning about the dangers of tobacco through graphic images and large warnings on packaging can be effective in convincing users to quit.
• Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship can reduce tobacco use.
• Raising taxes on tobacco can increase the price of tobacco products, making them less affordable and reducing tobacco use.

Facts about Jordan

• More than 6 out of 10 men (and 41% of the overall adult population) are smokers in Jordan, which has one of the highest smoking rates in the world.
• 24% of students aged between 13 and 15 are current smokers, a trend that may worsen with the increasing use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices.
• Tobacco use is associated with approximately 1 in 8 deaths in Jordan, costing the country an estimated $2.67 billion in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity.

Impact in Jordan

• Jordanian households spend more on tobacco-related products (JD73.6 per month) than on fruits (JD27), dairy products and eggs (JD38), meat and poultry (JD50), and vegetables and legumes (JD42).
• The Smoking Cessation Clinic in Jordan provides integrated services, including behavioral therapy and medical therapy, to help citizens quit smoking.

Benefits of Quitting Tobacco

• After 20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse drop to normal, and temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.
• After 8 hours: Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal, and oxygen level in blood increases to normal.
• After 24 hours: Chance of heart attack starts going down.
• After 48 hours: Nerve endings start growing again, and ability to smell and taste begins to improve.
• After 2 weeks to 3 months: Circulation improves, walking gets easier, and lung function improves up to 30%.
• After 1 month to 9 months: Coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness, and shortness of breath decrease.
• After 1 year: Risk of coronary artery disease is half that of a smoker.
• After 5 years: Lung cancer death rate goes down by one half, risk of stroke becomes same as non-smoker, and risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas goes down.