The World Health Organization (WHO) selects "Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women" as the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2010, which falls on 31 May. Controlling the epidemic of tobacco among women is an important part of any comprehensive tobacco control strategy. World No Tobacco Day 2010 aims to draw particular attention to the harmful effects of tobacco marketing towards women and girls. It highlights the need to ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in accordance with the constitutions or constitutional principles of various countries.Why is targeting women important?
Women comprise about 20% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers. However, the epidemic of tobacco use among women is increasing in some countries. Women are a major target of opportunity for the tobacco industry, which needs to recruit new users to replace the nearly half of current users who will die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases. Especially troubling is the rising prevalence of tobacco use among girls. The new WHO report, Women and health: today's evidence, tomorrow's agenda, points to evidence that tobacco advertising increasingly targets girls. Data from 151 countries show that about 7% of adolescent girls smoke cigarettes as opposed to 12% of adolescent boys. In some countries, almost as many girls smoke as boys.
World No Tobacco Day 2010 gives overdue recognition to the importance of controlling the epidemic of tobacco among women. The WHO Framework Convention, which took effect in 2005, expresses alarm at the increase in smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption by women and young girls worldwide.
What does World No tobacco Day 2010 aim at?
On World No Tobacco Day 2010, and throughout the following year, WHO will encourage governments to pay particular attention to protecting women from the tobacco companies' attempts to lure them into lifetimes of nicotine dependence. By responding to WHO's call, governments can reduce the toll of fatal and crippling heart attacks, strokes, cancers and respiratory diseases that have become increasingly prevalent among women. Tobacco use could kill one billion people during this century. Recognizing the importance of reducing tobacco use among women, and acting upon that recognition, would save many lives.
How does smoking impact girls’ psyche?
How do ads influence smoking behavior among women?
Women have been extensively targeted in tobacco marketing, and tobacco companies have produced brands specifically for women. Several examples of tobacco ads and promotions targeted to women indicate that such marketing is dominated by themes of both social desirability and independence, which are conveyed through ads featuring slim, attractive, athletic models. Defining a self-image is an important developmental task during adolescence. Attractive images of young smokers displayed in tobacco advertisements are likely to "implant" the idea of initiation of smoking behaviour in adolescent minds as a means to achieve the desired self-image. Therefore, it is not surprising that adolescents generally notice and respond to messages in tobacco advertising and promotion.
What harms does tobacco pose to women health?
Women comprise 20% of the world’s more than 1 billion smokers, as per WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008. Tobacco use causes a wide variety of cancers, including cancer of the lung, mouth, and the esophagus, and puts tobacco users at the risk for heart attacks, strokes, emphysema, and other life threatening diseases. Women smokers are at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer, osteoporosis and other conditions of the reproductive system.
What are the methods to quit smoking?
At this time the most effective methods for quitting is a combination of nicotine replacement products and the antidepressant drug bupropion bolstered by counselling. After a year only about 4% of smokers who quit without any outside help succeed. The primary obstacle in trying to quit alone is making the behavioural changes necessary to eliminate the habits associated with smoking. Excellent books, tapes, and manuals are available and are strongly recommended to help people who want to quit without other assistance.
Nicotine replacement - Nicotine replacement products provide low doses of nicotine that do not contain the contaminants found in smoke. They are proving to be twice as helpful as other standard quitting methods. Replacement products include nicotine patches, gums, nasal sprays, and inhalers. Side effects of any nicotine replacement product may include headaches, nausea, and other gastrointestinal problems. People often experience sleeplessness in the first few days, particularly with the patch, but the insomnia usually passes. Patients using very high doses are more likely to experience symptoms, and reducing the dose can prevent them. Certain individuals like people with heart disease, pregnant women, small children may need to avoid nicotine replacement products.
Nicotine patches: Nicotine patches, or transdermal nicotine, can be an effective way to quit smoking. The quit rate for patch users is around 20% after six months. Nicotine patches are available over the counter, but it is best to consult a doctor before using them, particularly people with any medical problems.
Nicotine gum: Nicotine gum (Nicorette), available over the counter, has also been effective for a number of people. Some prefer it to the patch because they can control the nicotine dosage and chewing satisfies the oral urge. Long-term dependence may be a problem with this method.
Nicotine inhaler: The nicotine inhaler resembles a plastic cigarette holder. It comes with a number of nicotine cartridges which are inserted into the inhaler. It has some specific advantages over other slower nicotine replacement products.
Nicotine nasal spray: The nasal spray satisfies immediate cravings by providing doses of nicotine rapidly, and thus may play a useful role in conjunction with slower acting nicotine replacement therapies.
Nicotine tablet: A nicotine tablet that is held under the tongue is also very useful.
Alternative and other methods for Quitting
Scheduled reduction: One study showed that people who used a systematic withdrawal schedule were twice as likely to quit as those who went cold turkey. The procedure involves the following steps
Divide the number of minutes per day awake by the number of daily cigarettes; the result is the minute-long wait between smokes.
Set up a schedule with time intervals based on this result and using a timer, smoke only at those intervals; if the "cigarette appointment" is missed by more than five minutes, the smoker must skip that cigarette.
The following week, one-third fewer cigarettes are used and the smoking time is recalculated based on the lower number.
During the third week the count is again reduced by a third, and the smoker quits in the fourth week.
Change daily habits
Change the daily schedule as much as possible. Eat at different times or eat many small meals instead of three large ones, sit in a different chair, rearrange the furniture.
Find other ways to close a meal. Play a tape or CD, eat a piece of fruit, get up and make a phone call, or take a walk (a good distraction that burns calories as well).
Substitute oral habits (eat celery, chew sugarless gum, suck on a cinnamon stick.) Go to public places and restaurants where smoking is prohibited or restricted.
Set short-term quitting goals and reward yourself when they are met, or every day put the money normally spent on cigarettes in a jar and buy something pleasurable at the end of a predetermined period of time.
Find activities that focus the hands and mind but are not taxing or fattening: computer games, solitaire, knitting, sewing, whittling, crossword puzzles.
Avoid heavy drinking of alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants or mood altering substances.
Tips to quit smoking:
Do not smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. If you smoke fewer cigarettes, but do not stop completely, soon you will be smoking the same number again. Smoking "low-tar, low-nicotine" cigarettes does little good. Nicotine is so addictive, that with lower-nicotine brands you will just puff harder, longer on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.
Do you really want to quit. Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to how much success you will have in quitting. Smokers who live after a heart attack are most likely to quit as they are very motivated. Find a reason for quitting before you have no choice.
Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Half the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit. This knowledge will help you deal with the symptoms of withdrawal, such as bad moods and strong desire to smoke. Nearly all smokers have some symptoms of nicotine withdrawal when they try to quit. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings.
Half of all smokers have quit, so you can too. That is the good news. There are millions of people who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.
Get help. Many groups offer written materials, programmes, and advice to help smokers quit. Your doctor or dentist is also a good source of help and support.
Common myths about quitting:
Smoking is just a bad habit. Tobacco use is an addiction. Nicotine is a very addictive drug. For some people it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
Quitting is just a matter of willpower. Smoking is an addiction and quitting is often very difficult. A number of treatments are available that can help.
If you cannot quit the first time you try, you will never be able to quit. Quitting is hard. Usually people make two or three tries before being able to quit for good.
Quitting is expensive. A pack-a-day smoker spends more money per year than the total treatment cost.
Why should you quit:
Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you will ever do.
You will live longer and live better.
Quitting will lower your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or cancer.
If you are pregnant, quitting smoking will improve your chances of having a healthy baby.
The people you live with, especially your children, will be healthier.
You will have extra money to spend other things
