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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about one-third of the global adult population, or 1.1 billion people are smokers. Data suggest that -
The toll is deadly
- every year, tobacco kills 3.5 million people around the world. In other words, about 10,000 people around the world die from tobacco every day.
- one million of these deaths currently occur in developing countries
Although there are significant gender differences, women are unfortunately catching up
- globally, nearly 47% of men and 12% of women smoke
- in developing countries, 48% of men and 7% of women smoke
- in developed countries, 42% of men smoke, as do 24% of women
Children are susceptible
- the global tobacco epidemic is predicted to prematurely claim the lives of some 250 million children and adolescents, a third of whom are in developing countries
The impact is long-term
- China predicts that of the 300 million males now aged 0-29, about 200 million will become smokers.
- Of these 200 million smokers, about 100 million will eventually die from tobacco-related diseases and half of these deaths will occur in middle-age and before age 70.
- It is predicted that by the year 2020, tobacco will become the leading cause of death and disability, killing more than 10 million people annually, thus causing more deaths than HIV, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and homicide combined.
Financial Toll
- A World Bank study, "The Economic Costs and Benefits of Investing in Tobacco," estimated that the health care costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses result in a global net loss of US$ 200 billion per year, half of those occurring in developing countries.
- The same World Bank study indicates that tobacco-use prevention programs rank among the most cost-effective of all health interventions.
- In a developing country with a per capita gross domestic product of US$ 2,000, effective smoking prevention costs approximately US$ 20 to US$ 40 per year of life gained. On the other hand, lung cancer treatment, which can prolong the lives of only about 10% of affected people, would cost US$ 18,000 per year of life gained.
- It is predicted that for every additional 1,000 tons of tobacco consumption, there will be an additional 650 deaths, for a net cost to the world economy of US$ 27.2 million dollars.
- Those who quit using tobacco make substantial savings through unbought tobacco products and lowered health care costs. For example, in the U.S., a 12-year old who invests the money he or she could spend in a lifetime pack-a-day habit in a money-market account (paying eight percent interest annually) instead, that person would save US$ 100,000 by age 39 and US$ 1 million by age 65.
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Some startling facts about kids
- 36% of high school students smoke
- 25% of high school males use smokeless tobacco
- Every day 6,000+ kids have their first cigarettes; 3,000 of them will become regular smokers
- 500 million packs of cigarettes are sold illegally to kids every year
- 15.5 million kids are exposed to secondhand smoke at home
- Today 3,000,000+ kids smoke almost one billion packs of cigarettes a year
- Over 5,000,000 kids under 18 alive today will ultimately die from tobacco use
- Kids are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertising as adults
- 86% of kids buy one of the three most heavily advertised brands (Marlboro, Camel or Newport)
- Kids are more likely to be influenced by tobacco advertising than by peer pressure (the tobacco industry spends $5.2 billion every year in the US on advertising and promotion)
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