Smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoking - Essay Example This fact has been firmly established by the more than a hundred years of experience of the consequences of smoking. Concern in society on the implications of smoking has led to public policy towards controlling the decision of the teenagers to start smoking and cessation of smoking strategies in the adult population (Sloan, Smith & Taylor, 2003). Smoking in the United Kingdom The early twentieth century witnessed smoking becoming a mass phenomenon in the United Kingdom, riding on the smoking being the â€Å"in† thing in society. Almost 13 million of the population in the United Kingdom continues as smokers. Estimates suggest that half of the smoking population will have premature deaths, as a consequence of diseases caused by smoking, losing a minimum of eight years in their life span. The prevalence of smoking peaked in the 1940s in men and the 1960s women. Since then there has been a decline in the prevalence in smoking. However, two features stand out in this decline in th e prevalence of smoking in the United Kingdom, with the decline being not so marked among the socio-economic backward classes and among young adults (Edwards, 2004). Smoking surveys in Britain started in 1948 and the prevalence of smoking among men was put at 85%. ... Current estimates suggest that around10 million people continue to smoke in Britain (Cancer Research UK, 2011). Reasons for the Prevalence of Smoking Several key factors have contributed to this decline in the prevalence of smoking to its lowest levels in Britain and demonstrating that Britain has more effectively tackled the smoking menace than many of the other developed countries. The first such key factor is the information campaign against smoking, highlighting the dangers associated with smoking that has been carried out in Britain for several decades (Meikle, 2011). The socio-economic backward classes have been a high risk population for smoking. Reduction in the inequalities in the society in Britain has reduced the proportion of socio-economic backward classes in UK (Alder et al, 2009). Education levels have been rising in Britain. The higher education levels the better the awareness and assimilation of the dangers associated with smoking, which has a negative impact on an i ndividual taking to smoking or continuing to smoke (Bittoun & Browning, 2005). The price of tobacco products has an impact on the prevalence of smoking. The higher the prices of the prices of tobacco products are the lower the levels of smoking. Government action through a taxation policy has kept the prices of tobacco at higher levels (Hayes, 2007). Reasons for Continued Smoking Cigarette smoking starts as an adolescent. These children may look upon smoking as the right way to approach adulthood or they may succumb to peer-pressure and start smoking. Another possible reason for teenagers taking to smoking may be an attempt to demonstrate their rebellion against society. Whatever be