Today, people believe they can replace their harmful smoking habits with safer vaping practices. However, the hazards of smoking have never disappeared, and it is important to inform society and present enough arguments on this topic. Prabhat Jha is the author of the article “The Hazards of Smoking and the Benefits of Cessation,” published in a not-for-profit scientific journal, eLife, in 2020.
This analysis is based on statistics about deaths among the citizens of high-income countries to explain the hazards of smoking and discuss the benefits of cessation (Jha). The main sources of evidence chosen by the author include articles from the PubMed database and reports of such organizations as the World Health Organization and the US Institute of Medicine. Seven major conclusions are made, addressing medical, biological, administrative, emotional, economic, and social aspects of the current situation.
Despite being properly aware of the damage of smoking and vaping, in particular, current smoking prevalence continues to grow in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Jha explains people’s choices due to the addictive nature of cigarettes and focuses on the historical smoking trends during the last several decades. Although the habits of adult smokers were formulated many years ago, young smokers are exposed to such innovations as e-cigarettes. People believe in a low level of harmful substances in vaping devices. However, Jha underlines that e-smoking is never completely risk-free, and the presence of nicotine cannot be ignored, affecting human health and cardiac effects.
Cessation is one of the most effective steps to predict smoking-related complications. The chosen article and Jha’s approach contribute to a better understanding of this decision to be made as soon as possible.
Work Cited
Jha, Prabhat. “The Hazards of Smoking and the Benefits of Cessation: A Critical Summation of the Epidemiological Evidence in High-Income Countries.” Elife, vol. 9, 2020. PubMed Central.