World no Tobacco Day Archives

World No Tobacco Day

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

On May 31^st each year, the World Health Organization highlights the harmful health effects of tobacco products such as cigarettes. While tobacco usage rates among the general population have decreased over time, approximately 22.3% of people across the world continue to use it. The risks of using tobacco are well documented; however, many people around the world are not fully aware of the dangers.

A substantial amount of information exists about the harmful effects of tobacco usage. Aside from lung-related conditions such as emphysema, there are also very strong links between tobacco usage and heart disease, circulatory problems, and stroke. Coronary vascular diseases are one of the world’s leading causes of death. Tobacco use is the second leading cause of these types of diseases, with hypertension being the leading cause.

Despite the wealth of information available about the harmful effects of tobacco products, their continued usage results in over 8 million deaths each year. Approximately 1.2 million of these deaths occur due to exposure to second-hand smoke, highlighting the negative health impacts that tobacco usage can have not only on the user, but on the people around them, as well.

A few of the World Health Organization’s efforts to inform people about tobacco’s harmful effects include:

Increasing public knowledge of the risks of smoking and secondhand smoke
Encouraging healthcare providers to speak to their patients about the hazards of tobacco
Encouraging governmental support for educational programs
Seeking ways to promote smoke-free zones in buildings and public spaces
Increasing taxes on tobacco products
Making it more difficult to purchase tobacco products
Banning tobacco advertising

If you would like to quit smoking, speak to your medical provider to learn more about the resources available to help you. Flushing Hospital Medical Center offers a tobacco cessation program that can support you in your efforts to quit. Please call 718-206-8494 to learn more.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

World No Tobacco Day

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Andrew Rubin

Since 1987 the World Health Organization has recognized May 31st as a day to bring awareness around the world of the harmful effects of tobacco. This year the focus is on tobacco and cardiovascular diseases.
The risks of using tobacco are well documented, however many people around the world are not fully aware of the dangers. There is a very strong link between tobacco use and heart disease, circulatory problems and stroke.
Coronary vascular diseases are one of the world’s leading causes of death. Tobacco use is the second leading cause of these types of diseases, hypertension being the leading cause. With all of the knowledge we have about the harmful effects of tobacco use, there are still some who have not received the message and as a result, more than 7 million people die each year from the effects of tobacco.
A few of the initiatives that the World Health Organization is trying to implement to inform people about tobacco’s harmful effects are:
• Increase public knowledge of the risks of smoking and second hand smoke
• Encourage healthcare providers to speak to their patients about the hazards of tobacco
• Encourage governmental support for educational programs
• Seek ways to promote smoke free zones in buildings and public spaces
• Increase taxes on tobacco products
• Make it more difficult to purchase tobacco products
• Ban tobacco advertising
If you use tobacco products and would like to quit, speak to your provider. Flushing Hospital offers a tobacco cessation program to help you. Please call 718-206-8494 to learn more.

To Hookah or Not to Hookah?

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Flushing Hospital

Article by Jennifer Ceide, AE-C, CHES, CTTS Flushing Hospital Medical Center

For my birthday, I am definitely going to a hookah lounge!” was excitedly determined by my cousin several years ago. As a developing tobacco treatment specialist, I wanted to proclaim my objection by saying, “Do you know that one hookah session is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes?!” Luckily, we couldn’t find a lounge that was open. Besides hookah lounges, hookah is also offered at night clubs and restaurants; it’s almost impossible not to find an opportunity to smoke hookah. So why the sudden burst in popularity, especially among never-smoked-a-cigarette millennials who without hesitation detest cigarette smoking?

So, what’s a Hookah?

Hookah is a water pipe used to smoke tobacco. Tobacco is burned at the top of the pipe, the smoke is then passed through water and the vapor is inhaled.

It’s safer…right?

Wrong! Besides the delivery of the highly addictive drug nicotine, the smoke from hookah contains toxins that contribute to cancer and other diseases. The water through which the smoke passes gives the false impression of purification; this process has not been shown to decrease any toxins associated with smoking. The vapor contains carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals.

According to the World Health Organization, a hookah session can last between 20 to 80 minutes, one session can be equal to smoking 100 cigarettes.

When we consider the added risk associated with sharing a mouthpiece with others, the possibility of contracting communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, herpes, influenza, or hepatitis becomes a noteworthy threat.

To hookah or not to hookah?

From what we know so far the risks linked to smoking hookah should deter and not encourage. Because the popularity of smoking hookah is a recent trend, long term effects of the activity continue to be determined; however, we have enough evidence to conclude that hookah is not the safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Hookah smokers are at risk for developing the same cancers and diseases that are linked to cigarette smoking in addition to the added risk of developing communicable diseases.