Tobacco.org

What Is Nicotine? 

Nicotine is a nitrogen-containing chemical - an alkaloid, which is made by several types of plants, including the tobacco plant. Nicotine is also produced synthetically. Nicotiana tabacum, the type of nicotine found in tobacco plants, comes from the nightshade family. Red peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes are examples of the nightshade family.

Apart from being a substance found in tobacco products, nicotine is also an antiherbivore chemical, specifically for the elimination of insects - it used to be extensively used as an insecticide.

Pharmacologic effects - when humans, mammals and most other types of animals are exposed to nicotine, it increases their heart rate, heart muscle oxygen consumption rate, and heart stroke volume - these are known as pharmacologic effects.

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• Smoking and Oral Health in Dentate Adults aged 18–64 [FREE FULL TEXT] 

Key findings

Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 2008

* Current smokers (16%) were twice as likely as former smokers (8%) and four times as likely as never smokers (4%) to have poor oral health status.

* Current smokers (35%) were almost one and one-half times as likely as former smokers (24%) and more than two times as likely as never smokers (16%) to have had three or more oral health problems.

* Current smokers (19%) were about twice as likely as former smokers (9%) and never smokers (10%) to have not had a dental visit in more than 5 years or have never had one.

* Cost was the reason that most adults with an oral health problem did not see a dentist in the past 6 months; 56% of current smokers, 36% of former smokers, and 35% of never smokers could not afford treatment or did not have insurance.

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Smoking and Tobacco Cessation  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What effects can smoking have on my oral health?

What effects can smokeless tobacco have on my oral health?

Are cigars a safe alternative to cigarettes?

How can tobacco cause periodontal (gum) disease?

What are some signs of oral cancer?

How do I quit using tobacco?

What effects can smoking have on my oral health? . . .

Cigars: What's So Cool About Bad Breath, Stained Teeth and Oral Cancer?

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• Surveillance of Demographic Characteristics and Health Behaviors Among Adult Cancer Survivors — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2009 

Results: An estimated 7.2% of the U.S. general population aged ≥18 years reported having received a previous cancer diagnosis (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer). A total of 78.8% of cancer survivors were aged ≥50 years, and 39.2% had received a diagnosis of cancer >10 years previously. A total of 57.8% reported receiving an influenza vaccination during the previous year, and 48.3% reported ever receiving a pneumococcal vaccination. At the time of the interview, 6.8% of cancer survivors had no health insurance, and 12% had been denied health insurance, life insurance, or both because of their cancer diagnosis. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was higher among male cancer survivors (23.4%) than female cancer survivors (14.3%), as was the prevalence of diabetes (19.6% and 14.7%, respectively). Overall, approximately 15.1% of cancer survivors were current cigarette smokers, 27.5% were obese, and 31.5% had not engaged in any leisure-time physical activity during the past 30 days. Demographic characteristics and health behaviors among cancer survivors varied substantially by state.

Interpretation: Health behaviors and preventive health care practices among cancer survivors vary by state and demographic characteristics. A large proportion of cancer survivors have comorbid conditions, currently smoke, do not participate in any leisure-time physical activity, and are obese. In addition, many are not receiving recommended preventive care, including cancer screening and influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations.

Public Health Action: Health-care providers and patients should be aware of the importance of preventive care, smoking cessation, regular physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight for cancer survivors. The findings in this report can help public health practitioners, researchers, and comprehensive cancer control programs evaluate the effectiveness of program activities for cancer survivors, assess the needs of cancer survivors at the state level, and allocate appropriate resources to address those needs. . . .

Health Behaviors

Smoking

Approximately 15.1% of cancer survivors aged ≥18 years in the 50 states and DC were current cigarette smokers (Figure 1). Smoking prevalence among cancer survivors was highest in Oklahoma (23.9%) and lowest in California (10.3%). Regional differences also were observed, with the highest prevalence in the South (17.2%), followed by the Midwest (15.8%), Northeast (15.1%), and West (13.0%). . . .

Despite significant decreases in cigarette smoking since 1980, a 2011 CDC study indicated that 20% of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years in the general population currently smoke (47), compared with 15% of cancer survivors in this report. Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in approximately 443,000 deaths annually (47). Cancer survivors are at increased risk for subsequent cancers, including tobacco-related cancers (48,49). Adverse health conditions from smoking include compromised cancer treatment efforts, delayed healing after surgery, and impeded recovery of optimal daily functioning (48). In this report, current smoking was reported by cancer survivors and varied substantially by state; however, certain states, such as California and Massachusetts, had a relatively low prevalence.

The low smoking prevalence among cancer survivors in California and Massachusetts is partially attributable to implementation of the long-running comprehensive tobacco control program in California and mandated tobacco cessation coverage in the Massachusetts Medicaid program (47,50,51). Because of the hazardous effects of smoking, especially among persons with cancer, promotion of smoking cessation and initiation of smoking prevention measures among cancer survivors are especially important. . . .

Conclusion

A large proportion of cancer survivors have comorbid conditions, and many are not receiving recommended preventive care, not only for cancer screening but for influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations. Furthermore, many cancer survivors currently smoke, do not participate in adequate physical activity, and are obese. Health-care providers and patients should be aware of the importance of preventive care, smoking cessation, regular physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight among cancer survivors, factors that have been linked to longer survival and better quality of life among cancer survivors, as well as to decreased risk for new and recurrent cancer. Health care for cancer survivors should include improvements in pain management and a written treatment summary (including follow-up instructions). Modification of health behaviors among cancer survivors would be facilitated by increasing insurance coverage and access to care.

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DHHR Report: Tobacco use down among W.Va. youth  

According to a report released recently by the Department of Health and Human Resources, more West Virginia Youths are choosing to abstain from tobacco use.

"For decades, tobacco use was a rite of passage for teens in West Virginia, but a new report released by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Health Statistics Center indicates that more kids are choosing to be tobacco-free," the DHHR said in a released statement.

The report analyzes data from the 2007 and 2009 Youth Tobacco Survey and compares data from previous years, detailing the use of tobacco, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars and popes for middle school and high school students.

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• Heart attack deaths halve in eight years... due to fewer smokers and better care  

Deaths from heart attacks have halved in less than a decade, a study has found.

Experts say the dramatic decline has been fuelled by fewer people smoking and better treatment in NHS hospitals.

Improvements to diet and general health - which lead to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels - have also had an impact, they say. . . .

The conclusions come from a study, by Oxford University academics, which found the death rate from heart attacks between 2002 and 2010 fell by 50 per cent in men and 53 per cent in women.

Researchers were attempting to discover whether the drop was driven by prevention through lifestyle changes or treatment once a heart attack happened. They analysed data on 840,000 victims either admitted to hospital in England for a heart attack or who died suddenly from one.

And they found that lifestyle and treatment played an almost equal role in preventing fatalities. . . .

In their report, published in the British Medical Journal, the researchers, from the university's Department of Public Health, said just over half of the decline in deaths could be attributed to a fall in the number of new heart attacks, while just under half was due to a decline in the death rate following a heart attack. . . .

During the study period, the proportion of smokers had dropped from 27 per cent to 21 per cent of the population and smoking bans had been introduced.

Factor? The number of people smoking dropped by six per cent during the study period while the smoking ban was also introduced

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Tobacco Control in Africa 

‘Tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa is growing rapidly as a result of strong economic growth and the aggressive marketing tactics of tobacco multinationals. Although the policy interventions are well understood, the political economy of tobacco control in Sub-Saharan Africa is not, and this volume is a timely addition to the literature, offering the most comprehensive review of the political economy of tobacco control in Sub-Saharan Africa yet. The attention to detail in the 12 country case studies – representing diverse linguistic, geographic, political, legal and developmental environments – sets new standards for tobacco control research on the continent.’ —Dr Evan Blecher, International Tobacco Control Research Program, American Cancer Society

This volume presents the work initiated and executed under the African Tobacco Situational Analyses (ATSA), a recent major public health initiative sponsored by the Canadian government’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Conceived to illuminate the factors that will facilitate the reform of Africa’s major public health policies, this program focused particularly (but not exclusively) on policies concerning tobacco. The results, presented in this book, are an important contribution to the literature on global public health and international development, and comprise the most comprehensive evidence-based analysis of tobacco policy in the African region.

The country-level analyses of this study examine topics such as smoking prevalence, the status of relevant smoking-related policies, and the politics of public health policy reform – as well as the role played by the tobacco industry in each of these key areas.

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• Cigar Use Misreporting Among Youth: Data from the 2009 Youth Tobacco Survey, Virginia  

Introduction

Researchers have suggested that adolescents' cigar use has increased beyond the rates being reported on tobacco use surveys. Differences in content knowledge and everyday colloquial expressions may be responsible for misreporting of cigar use. To determine whether cigar use is subject to systematic misreporting, we compared reports of general cigar use ("During the past 30 days, on how many days did you smoke cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos?") with reports of brand-specific use (“During the past 30 days, on how many days did you smoke Black & Milds?”) among a statewide sample of adolescents in Virginia.

Methods

We examined data from 3,093 youth who completed the 2009 Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey to determine differences in the rate of misreported cigar use (ie, those who reported Black & Mild use but did not report cigar, little cigar, or cigarillo use) for youth with varying demographic profiles and conditions.

Results

More than one-half of Black & Mild users (57.3%) did not report general cigar use. Cigar use misreporting was most prevalent among older adolescents, blacks/African Americans, current users of cigarettes and hookah, and youth diagnosed with asthma.

Conclusion

General cigar-use items on statewide surveys significantly underestimate the prevalence of youth cigar use. More comprehensive measures of cigar use may be beneficial in assessing tobacco use among groups most likely to misreport their tobacco use, such as African Americans and youth diagnosed with asthma. . . .

This study is among the first to address the view that cigar use items on statewide surveys contain face validity but may lack sufficient content validity. Estimated tobacco use prevalence rates have a substantial influence on federal and state tobacco control policy, resource allocation and priority funding for tobacco research, and the dissemination of tobacco use prevention curricula and materials. Researchers should consider developing comprehensive assessment strategies to better detect and monitor cigar use in youth populations, especially among African Americans and youth diagnosed with asthma. In addition, health professionals should consider incorporating more detailed tobacco use screening items to ascertain accurate information.

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U.S. Colleges and Universities with Smokefree Air Policies (PDF) 

While it has become relatively common for colleges and universities to have policies requiring that all buildings, including residential housing, be smokefree indoors, this list only includes those colleges and universities with entirely smokefree campuses.

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Fact Sheet - Hookahs - Smoking & Tobacco Use 

While many hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes.1,2

* Water pipe smoking delivers the addictive drug nicotine and is at least as toxic as cigarette smoke.2

* Due to the mode of smoking--including frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking session--hookah smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.1,2

* A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.4

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LGBT teens battle to quit smoking  

So, just how many Ohio youths are smoking now? The 2010 Ohio Youth Tobacco Survey, the most recent completed statewide survey, put the high school smoking rate at 16.7 percent. But the rate is higher for specific groups of teens and young adults.

In 2009, the state's ButtOut Ohio Project conducted a survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender high school and college students in Northeast Ohio and found that 62 percent had tried tobacco, 28 percent considered themselves regular smokers, and 52 percent said that they are occasional smokers. Those figures are high, as the nationwide rate of smoking for teens and young adults is 25 percent.

Nearly 60 percent of those in the LGBT Northeast Ohio survey said they had tried to stop smoking without success. Most said it was just too difficult.

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Teenage smoking rate at its lowest for 30 years  

THE rate of smoking among teenagers has fallen to its lowest level in almost 30 years, according to the latest Scottish adolescent health survey.

However, the survey also indicates that, while alcohol consumption among 13 and 15-year-olds has dropped in the past two years, the number of youngsters who admit being drunk has crept up, while previous declines in illicit drug use among the age group – predominantly cannabis – have tailed off.

The 2010 Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, published yesterday, revealed that 3% of 13-year-olds and 13% of 15-year-olds smoked at least one cigarette a year.

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10 Common and Uncommon Causes of Death, From Smoking to Serial Killers  

From smoking tobacco to lightning strikes, The Daily Beast looks at 10 causes of death that occur more frequently than elevator-related fatalities. (Airplane crashes, for what it’s worth, are also very rare—in developed nations the odds of dying on a scheduled flight are about 1 in 14 million)

This list is not all-inclusive (heart disease and cancer are the first and second most common causes of death in the United States), but is merely an illustrative sampling of accidents and illnesses that cause more deaths per year—many more—than elevator-related incidents. . . .

Air Pollution

Frederic J. Brown, AFP / Getty Images

Deaths per million: 162.9

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Smoking

Daniel Barry / Getty Images

Deaths per million: 1,443.0

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Smoking Daniel Barry / Getty Images Deaths per million: 1,443.0 Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Pollsters Reveal Findings of 2011 State Smoking Survey 

Findings based on a survey of 177,600 interviews reveal smoking rates range from a high of 29 percent in Kentucky to a low of 11 percent in Utah. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index collected data during the first half of 2011.

Overall, the survey found an average of 21 percent of Americans say they smoke. That number has not changed since 2008 when Gallup and Healthways started tracking smoking habits.

High smoking rates continue to dominate in the South and Midwest, with all of the states where rates are 25 percent or higher in these regions.

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High school seniors smoke marijuana more than cigarettes, survey finds  

US teenagers are turning away from cigarettes and alcohol in favor of marijuana according to an annual study released Wednesday by the University of Michigan. . . .

Cigarette use is down among all three grades, dropping 60 percent during the last 15 years, according to the survey. Among 12th graders, 18.7 percent reported they smoked a cigarette during the past month, compared with 36.5 percent in 1997 – the most recent peak.

Binge drinking is also at a historic low among the combined grades surveyed, down from 41 percent five years ago to 22 percent this year. Binge drinking is defined as four drinks in one sitting for women, five for men.

But researchers speaking at the National Press Club in Washington Wednesday said that teenagers are turning to alternate tobacco products, such as hookahs, small cigars, and smokeless tobacco. Marijuana and prescription-drug use is also on the rise.

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