This research investigated the issue of tobacco smoking and health problems. The research considered the nature and scope of the problem, as well as the various social, political, and economic issues underlying the community health problem. The data required for the conduct of this research was obtained through a search of the relevant literature.
It was concluded that, as voluntary socially responsible action cannot be expected on the part of the tobacco companies, nor socially responsible legislative and executive action can be expected on the part of the federal government, and meaningful action is unlikely from the judiciary, effective actions must be taken by groups and individuals interested in attacking the smoking problem. Thus, economic action where it hurts must be taken against both the tobacco companies and against individuals who smoke. It was recommended that stakeholders demand that universities and pension funds withdraw investments from tobacco companies. It was also recommended that non smokers demand that health insurers severely penalize smokers.
Smoking tobacco, particularly in the form of cigarettes, creates a risk of sudden cardiac arrest for smokers three times higher than the comparable risk for a non smoker (Koop, 1988). Approximately 85 percent of all lung cancers in the United States are caused by smoking tobacco; persons smoking two packs of cigarettes per day have a lung cancer rate 25 times that of the non smoker (Koop, 1988). Cigarette smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive lung disease emphysema is common among older persons who have smoked, while it is rarely found among older non smokers (Koop, 1988). Premature delivery, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirth risks are magnified for the pregnant woman who smokes, when compared to risks for non smoking pregnant women (Koop, 1988).
Historically, in the United States, tobacco smoking has been a more serious problem in the ...