The bad habit is seen as an amusement
The harmful influences of tobacco usage and smoking’s toll on our physical health and emotional well-being are recurring subjects of the most heated discussions. However, it can be easily observed that the number of smokers is only growing. What is worse, an increasing number of young individuals are lured into the trap of the harmful habit. Will smoking ever go out of style?
The smoking problem is being addressed by various institutions and non-governmental organizations. According to the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD), in order to help schools prevent the use of psychoactive substances, support initiatives dedicated to students’ health, promote a healthy lifestyle, and ensure safety as well as social well-being various recommendations, guidelines and methodological materials are provided.
As stated in the comment provided by the NTAKD, the recommendations have been sent to all Lithuanian schools and Public Health Offices. Meanwhile, the schools are updating their internal documentation regulating the measures aimed at preventing the use of psychoactive substances. They are also establishing situation management mechanisms that should be activated if cases of psychoactive substance use, possession, or distribution are identified.
It’s true that most young individuals view smoking as a minor problem, however, members of certain youth associations find such an attitude as most disturbing. For instance, the Lithuanian Youth Union „Žingsnis“ president Fausta Dambrauskaitė has shared that she and her colleagues are making considerable efforts to draw attention to this phenomenon.
„Over almost 27 years of our organization’s activity we’ve tirelessly looked for ways and measures that could steer the teens from tobacco usage because the emergence of new products does not eliminate the problem. Although the situation is not critical so far, the issue of tobacco usage and nicotine dependence should receive constant and serious attention as it does not go away,“ said the leader of the organization.
According to Dambrauskaitė, there are numerous reasons for which young individuals give way to this bad habit.
„Based on psychological decision-making models, three main spheres can be identified: cultural environment, social competence, and biology or personality. Each of these branches can be further divided into various aspects that make up a complex map. Whenever any of the aspects is triggered, the likelihood that an individual, whether a teen or an adult, would succumb to a harmful habit significantly increases,“ explained Dambrauskaitė.
Speaking of problem-solving measures, Dambrauskaitė elaborated on the precise solutions that her organization has offered.
„We regularly hold self-awareness sessions in schools, organize workshops off-campus, and supply extra educational resources. We aim to help young people develop the skills that will protect them from negative influences and empower them to confidently resist the temptation. Our goal is to create an environment for young people that aligns with their values and ambitions,“ shared Dambrauskaitė.
Attention to the problem is also evident online
A rise in focus on smoking-related matters can be observed not just in schools but also online, where people nowadays spend a huge portion of their leisure time. Online resources offer valuable insights and advice from experts, as well as applications that have proven to be beneficial for many in dealing with the harmful habit of smoking.
Among the problem-tackling options are online awareness-raising campaigns. A few have been launched in Lithuania. Most recently, Klaipėda District Municipality has started the social media initiative „Be rūko“, aimed at providing teens and their parents with adequate information on dangers that the smoking is associated with.
„The goal of the campaign is to encourage kids and teens to pay scrutinized attention to the health risks of smoking and find the inner strength to quit the harmful habit,“ said Bronius Markauskas, the mayor of Klaipėda district.
Through engaging yet informative messages, both the youth and the smoking community are made aware that smoking is not merely pure pleasure as they may think.
Experts continuously warn about smoking-related dangers
As consistently emphasized by doctors and health experts, smoking poses serious health risks. Cardiologist and Professor of Medical Sciences Raimondas Kubilius highlights the staggering data demonstrating the detrimental impact of smoking on the human body.
„In the US, according to the estimates, approximately 11 million people use e-cigarettes, with 4 million being young individuals. A survey of more than 1,100 Lithuanian university students conducted between 2017 and 2018 found that as much as 56.6% of the respondents had experimented with vaping. According to the Lithuanian Student Lifestyle and Health Survey compiled by the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, one in five children in grades 5-9 has tried e-cigarettes at least once in the last 30 days, and the prevalence of e-cigarette use is rapidly increasing,“ said the cardiologist.
Kubilius emphasized that the public should no longer misperceive the harms of traditional cigarettes or e-cigarettes, which are especially popular among young people. However, the most important thing, according to him, is to change the approach of those who continue to harm themselves with various psychoactive substances despite being aware of the risks to their health and lives.
„Analysis by the American Heart Association highlights the profoundly negative effects of e-cigarettes on the heart and respiratory system. Even more alarming is the growing number of users: in the period from 2017 to 2019, the number of e-cigarette smokers has doubled. Despite the lack of data regarding the long-term effects of vaping, the evidence provided so far is compelling,“ stressed Kubilius.
According to him, a couple of recently conducted large-scale research has found that young people who use e-cigarettes are up to 5 times more likely to develop an acute myocardial infarction.
„More than 30 minutes of vaping provokes arterial stiffness which is the same effect as from the conventional smoking,“ noted Kubilius.
„We must remember that it took decades to acknowledge the harmful health effects of traditional cigarettes, and nearly 60 years for the Guinness Book of Records to recognize smoking as the world’s leading cause of death,“ stated the professor.
Despite ongoing efforts to raise public awareness about the health effects of smoking and vaping, it seems that there is still a way to go.
