Question

with high respect to you. please, the answer should be in computer form and avoid copy and paste.

1. Discuss the prevalence of cigarette smoking as a public health threat in Saudi Arabia, and the economic and the societal harms it causes. Support your answer with recent statistics of smoking in Saudi Arabia.

Answer 1

Tobacco consumption is alarming in Saudi Arabia as it is ranked fourth worldwide in terms of tobacco sale, and a high proportion of males students (32.7%) smoke in the country. A large body of epidemiological evidence reveals that smoking is related to oral conditions which include periodontal disease, gingival recession, tooth loss, dental caries, staining of teeth, halitosis, benign mucosal conditions, and precancerous and malignant oral lesions. Smokers live approximately 10 years lesser than never smokers, and smoking cessation efforts can reduce 97% risk of death associated with continuing smoking before the age of 30 years. This underscores the importance of increasing the awareness about the negative consequences of smoking among adolescents so that morbidities, mortalities, and oral and systematic health inequalities resulting from smoking can be prevented at an earlier age.

Adolescents are vulnerable to starting smoking and becoming addicted to nicotine because they go through rapid hormonal and cognitive changes during their adolescence and they are influenced by cultural, social, familial, and behavioral factors.

Adolescent smokers are likely to become addicted to nicotine, and about 90% of adult smokers used to smoke regularly during their adolescence.

The factors that lead adolescents to start smoking include advertising of cigarettes, stress, low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and occurrence of smoking among parents and other family members, friends, and staff at school. Moreover, research indicates that initiation of smoking is associated with the perception of risks and benefits of smoking. It was found that adolescents with low perception about the long term risks related to smoking were 3.64 times more likely to smoke compared with those who had a high perception of smoking-related risks.

Saudi Arabia has a national tobacco control program that aims at evaluating the prevalence of smoking and its adverse health effects including economic impact and preventing the epidemic of smoking complications. In addition, there are policies about controlling smoking in educational institutions, health-care facilities, public transportation, and banning tobacco commercial advertisements.

It is suggested that antismoking policies aimed at enforcing the control of tobacco use and improving oral and systemic health should consider the support of family members particularly parents. The supportive environment for developing healthy lifestyles among children should be created utilizing possibilities of interaction among teachers, parents, and health-care providers in schools. Educating students about the complications of smoking on oral health should be part of smoking cessation programs and policies.