28.05.2024. To the World No Tobacco Day (May 31)
According to the World Health Organization, the death of every tenth adult in the world is related to the effects of tobacco use. The fact that smoking contributes to the development of many diseases is obvious – the term “smoking-related diseases” has been coined.
These diseases include chronic bronchitis in smokers, lung cancer, which affects every 10th smoker, lung cancer among women exposed to secondhand smoke, diseases of the mouth, gums, dental caries, and laryngeal cancer – and these are “contact diseases.” Tobacco smoking leads to coronary heart disease and, as a result, myocardial infarction – the degree of myocardial infarction increases in proportion to the number of cigarettes smoked; obliterative endarteritis, leading to gangrene and loss of limbs; hearing loss; affects the gonads, leading to impotence in 11% of male smokers, cancer of the gonads, etc.
The harmful effects of tobacco are apparent, but according to the results of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GYTS), the prevalence of tobacco use among young people is significant. In Ukraine, this is the fourth wave of the survey of adolescents aged 13-15, three of which were carried out by specialists of the Marzeev Institute of Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. The latest survey found that 17.8% of boys and 12.1% of girls use tobacco products. It was found that against the background of positive trends in the prevalence of tobacco smoking among adolescents (the proportion of smokers decreased by 23%), there is an increase in the prevalence of alternative types of tobacco products, relatively high levels of passive smoking, etc.
Scientists of the Laboratory of Epidemiology of Non-Infectious Diseases and Medical Informatics of the State Institution “Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” within the framework of the research work “Scientific substantiation of criteria for a comprehensive assessment of health-forming behavior of young people as a tool for prevention of non-infectious diseases” of 2021-2023, it was determined that 60.2% of young people (15 to 24 years old) and 77.6% of older people (25 to 76 years old) tried smoking at least once in their lives. Depending on gender, 10.6% of women and 19.6% of men smoked at the time of the survey. Among those who smoked at the time of the survey, 18.0% of young people and 8.2% of older people used e-cigarettes and heating devices. Among young people, 8.0% of respondents smoked up to 5 times a day, and among older people – 4.1%. More than five cigarettes a day are smoked by 5.5% of respondents from the youth group and 6.1% of older people. It should be noted that at the time of the survey, the proportion of smokers among young people was almost two times higher than among older people – 15.2% of young people smoked, and 8.1% of older people smoked.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (98.0%) believe they are primarily responsible for maintaining their health. The widespread use of tobacco smoking among the respondents indicates that they often do not think about their health and only declare their responsibility for its preservation.
In addition to the prevalence of bad habits, specialists from the Laboratory of Epidemiology of Non-Infectious Diseases and Medical Informatics of the State Institution “Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” assessed the impact of tobacco smoking on human health, namely the relationship with diabetes mellitus. For the first time, a link between quantitative and rank indicators was established using an analysis of variance between glucose levels and smoking. Read more in the publication:
Mykhaylenko O. Correlational analysis of the dependence of the health of the population of Ukraine on smoking as a factor in the development of diseases. Environment & Health. 2024. №1 (110). P. 11-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32402/dovkil2024.01.011
The specialists of the Laboratory of Epidemiology of Non-Infectious Diseases and Medical Informatics of the State Institution “Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” continue to study the prevalence of bad habits, including smoking, in the context of the war in Ukraine.
We invite you to take part in an anonymous survey on the impact of the war on public health:
