HEALTH COACH - Doctor: Increasing legal smoking until the age of 21 years could significantly reduce the prevalence of smoking | Health and Family, Lifestyle Characteristics, The Philippine Star
Doctor: Increasing legal smoking until the age of 21 years could significantly reduce the prevalence of smoking | Health and Family, Lifestyle Characteristics, The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - In the midst of Pres. The signing by Rodrigo Duterte of an executive decree prohibiting smoking in public places nationwide and forbidding smoking and selling cigarettes in children under 18, a pneumologist, A press conference yesterday, said that it was necessary that the government raise the legal minimum age for smoking From 18 to 21 years to significantly reduce the number of smokers, especially the youngest smokers in the country.
Dr. Gian Carlo Arandia, a pneumologist at ManilaMed, is one of many healthcare professionals who believe that simply limiting the accessibility of tobacco products to a more mature segment of the population Will help reduce the number of smokers in the country.
"Increasing the legal age for smoking can have measurable benefits. Studies suggest that smoking is at least partly a social problem that is associated with peer pressure and compliance issues. Those who start smoking much later in life, compared to those who start when they are 15 or 17, may be less likely to smoke usually for the rest of their lives. Because the decision to try to smoke as an adult is usually not related to compliance issues or personal picture as is the case with many smokers Teenagers, if not most of them. "Dr. Arandia said.
Dr. Arandia added that teenagers are fleeing because of peer pressure, stress and the will to become older or more mature. "By raising the legal age of smoking to 21, we give impressionable adolescents a better chance of" going out "of their most sensitive years so that when they can legally smoke they are better informed, more mature And less likely to make Decision to Experiment Smoking "
According to him, "This is an assertion supported by a study done by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids." The study's findings, which also suggest that those who start smoking as mature adults are also more successful Financing the habit later in Life. "
"Another measure that can discourage people from smoking increases cigarette prices further. Thanks to the recent amendment of the tax law of sin, cigarettes can now cost up to 60 to 80 pesos per pack or 5 pesos per stick, depending on the brand, however we can impose higher prices if the government is really serious about preventing people from smoking.In Singapore, cigarettes can cost up to the equivalent of 400 000 pesos per package If we do this here, who will buy them again? Higher prices are better because fewer people can afford to buy them, "Dr. Arandia said.
Lifestyle Feature (Article MRec), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:
Highlights from the 2011 World Youth Smoking Survey (13-15 years)
8.9 percent of students currently smoke cigarettes
7.3 percent currently use another form of tobacco
13.7 percent currently use a form of tobacco
Local statistics
17. 3 million Filipino adults aged 15 years and over are current tobacco smokers, according to the results of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2009 .
Secondary exposure to smoke
Almost three out of five students are exposed to smoke around other people outside the home
Half of the students have one or more parents who smoke
About 9.5 percent of students have friends who smoke
More than two out of five students live in homes where other people smoke.
Other findings:
More than nine out of ten students believe that smoking in public spaces should be banned.
Almost nine in 10 smokers want to quit smoking.
One in 10 students owns a property / property with a cigarette brand logo.
Nine out of 10 students have seen anti-smoking messages in the last 30 days.
Eight out of 10 students have seen commercial cigarette advertisements in display boards over the past 30 days.
Seven in 10 saw pro-cigarette ads in magazines in the last 30 days.
Nearly eight out of ten students think that other people smoke at night.
Symptoms and benefits of withdrawal
Anxiety
Tension or frustration
Drowsiness or difficulty sleeping
Increased appetite
Decreased levels of carbon dioxide in your body 12 hours after you stop
Improvement of your sense of smell and taste, 48 hours after your departure
The withdrawal of nicotine, three days after your departure
Exercise with ease, two to three weeks after your departure
Decreased cough and shortness of breath, one to nine months after your stop
Reduced risk of heart disease, one year after your departure
Reduced risk of stroke, five years after leaving
Reduced risk of lung cancer, 10 years after leaving
15 years after quitting, those who quit smoking reduce their risk of heart disease to non-smokers
Intense Cravings
Physiological effects
The bloodstream will begin to improve.
Fingers and toes will start to feel warm.
Symptoms of withdrawal of nicotine begin two hours after the last cigarette.
After two hours without a cigarette, the heart rate and blood pressure of a smoker will be close to normal.
The special forum on smoking, to which Dr. Arandia spoke, was organized by Manille Med as part of the hospital's ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the prevalence and urgency of health problems Urban communities by starting meaningful conversations about specific health problems that are endemic to city life.
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