Literature review of the scientific journal articles
The issue
Smoking is carcinogenic among other things and it is the number one actual cause of death around the world. The dangers that arise from smoking are largely identifiable and well known. According to research conducted by the World Health Organization, the number of people estimated to die as a result of smoking stands at 5.4 million a year around the world. Everyone knows and agrees that smoking is not healthy.
The use of tobacco through smoking is a trend among adolescents and teenagers with the number of young people who involve themselves in smoking is growing each day. About 800,000 to 100,000 young people start smoking each day around the world, especially in the Asian continent. Tobacco use is rapidly increasing among high school students, and as researches show, smoking is a major cause of deterioration of health.
Hence, smoking among teenagers is a problem that should be focused on and tried to fix. From one of the research studies conducted we’ve found that among the teenagers who started smoking during their adolescence, 50% of them go on smoking in the next 15 to 20 years later. It is estimated that one-third of these young smokers are expected to die from a smoking-related disease. The deaths of our youth are something that we shouldn’t ignore or be sidetracked away from.
Causes
The research found from most of the articles states that the major or one of the most important causes of smoking among adolescents is peer pressure, including marketing and advertising. There is a study that shows the results of predictors of smoking intention, analyzing that the greatest predictors of smoking intention were attitude and perceived behavioral control. In the case of peer pressure, an example could be where one member of the group smoking leads the other to do the same or even trying to smoke.
In one of the studies done on the prevalence of smoking and tobacco chewing found 61.69% points out that friends are the main inducing factor for addiction. In other articles mentioned a correlation between smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug abuse. Also, a study done on the prevalence of tobacco use among students aged 13- 14 years, shows how much influence smokers get from advertising (70%), and how much from indirect advertising (10%). the perception that comes into mind when non-smokers get to see adverts concerning smoking is depicted as a positive and this may result in a person trying to just get the feeling as seen on the media.
Smoking advertisements go as far as it is portrayed as a good habit especially in movies and films. These two subjects are of great influence among many young people and according to psychologists’ theory, it explains that the strength of a personal intention to start behaving in certain ways is basically because of the attitude the behavior and the influential activities about the said behavior. With advertising comes the promotion where some tobacco companies give away gifts when one purchases a tobacco product. This is a way of enticing buyers and it works most of the time because many adolescents are seen to positively respond to these kinds of promotions by buying the product in plenty. (Muslim Report 2010)
Prevention
Results of research done in Western Australia shows that using counseling with disciplinary actions on smoking students were more effective than plain disciplinary action. Proper education focusing on adolescents and teaching them about the dangers of smoking and its effects on health is one way to prevent smoking. “Another way to prevent teenage smoking is to decrease cigarette marketing to younger adults and increase the cost of cigarettes high, keep product placement and advertising away from schools and other areas with a high volume of youth traffic, make cigarette advertising – themes and visual aids and images- unappealing to youth, make product packaging unappealing to the younger generations, and lastly to design the product so it is not easy to inhale” (Hafez 2010).
Literature review of the newspaper articles
The issue
Smoking among teenagers became a big problem in the UAE, especially that Midwakh was perceived as more fashionable among teenagers of both genders. Most of the youngsters result in smoking due to depression, pressure from peers, and other influences that includes advertising and films. A survey conducted in the UAE shows that 45% of teenagers aged between 17 and 18 are smokers, a rate that should not be neglected.
Almost all of the girls who participated in the research knew that smoking causes lung and heart diseases. As mention in the article that a recent Ministry of Health report found that tobacco use among teenagers was 14.3% among males and 2.9% among young females. In Dubai 14.6% of the students in the schools consume tobacco products these findings are from the Dubai Health Authority, further information gave is that more than 70% of those engaged in tobacco products consumption smoke cigarettes while about 10% use shisha, the other 9% use pipe and 1% use cigars another 1% chew the tobacco.
Causes
From a survey done by medical students at UAE University, the majority of girls mentioned peer pressure as the main reason people start smoking. Another cause or variable that aids in teenage smoking Is the fact that some grocery stores in the country sell cigarettes to minors – under the age of 18 years, which is the legal age for buying cigarettes – even though it is illegal for those shops to sell them to anyone under 18 years of age. This behavior is hurting the peers of such students, who may also feel tempted to take up the bad habit of smoking. Also, less control in schools is helping students to smoke without their parent’s or teachers’ knowledge. (Saberi, 2010)
Prevention
The World Health Organization has outlined a treaty, the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) which is to be signed by all member countries to develop a global smoking prevention programs. From the WHO website, we found that the United Arab Emirates signed the (FCTC) treaty on the 24th of June, 2004. Also, researchers recommended developing rules for selling and advertising cigarettes as a dangerous and addictive drug.
Other studies suggested banning the sale of cigarettes to young people, less than 21 years of age. Furthermore, it recommended increasing educational activities for children and youth in schools and the media about the dangerous effects of smoking. For instance, the Dubai government did camping for women and children, explain about smoking. However, according to Dr. Hanif Hassan, the Minister of Health, the UAE was making efforts to enforce the anti-tobacco draft legislation and to achieve the country’s goal towards enhancing the country’s health.
So they are looking into coming up with measures, such as doubling the price of cigarettes and banned smoking on beaches. In one of the articles, they have talked about banning the smoking of shisha and midwakh in public. “Dr. Wedad AL Maidoor, the head of the National Tobacco Control Committee, adds that the law forbids tobacco usage in enclosed areas and public places and there should be no extra rooms for any smoking activities available, without specifying any type of tobacco” (Al Bakry 2010).
However, it is not as clear as what the government means public but in areas that include government offices, hospitals, and schools, no smoking activities around these places are allowed. This will detour the addicts from using the narcotic drug during the day. “The tobacco control team by the ministry of finance is increasing the price of cigarette packs to make the habit costlier, as studies have shown that whenever the price of cigarettes is exorbitant there is a decrease in smoking among young adults. Another deterrent to smoking is that half of the cigarette packets will be covered with graphic images to send home the message that smoking kills.
Presently, a packet only carries a warning that smoking is the highest cause of lung cancer and heart diseases” (Al Bakry 2010). Campaigns have been organized as a way to make the public aware of the effects that are related to smoking or consumption of tobacco products. One such campaign is the Tobacco-free Women Campaign held in Dubai in June 2010, which was a major success because more than 5,700 people actually participated in the campaign and later recorded that among all these people 75 were said to have quit smoking during the campaign period (Al Bakry 2010).
From an article in the National newspaper, the number of children engaging in smoking is increasing as children even as young as 13 years old are smoking illegal drugs like marijuana. It also points out that the girls constitute 20%of the smokers in Dubai according to a survey conducted by the government. Girls as young as six years are smoking most of them start smoking due to peer pressure from friends.
This concern was raised in the Dubai Women Association by the health minister, Dr Hanif Hassan, to make women aware of the effects of smoking on their health. Besides, the government together with the WHO has been involved in ensuring that rate of smokers in the country drop. There have been Anti-Tobacco campaigns supported by both the government and the WHO, a drafted law concerning the National Anti-Tobacco laws has been finalized and only awaits cabinet approval. Among other ways to reduce the number of consumers of cigarettes is the doubling price of tobacco products, putting of warning signs stating smoking is harming in all TV programs that have characters smoking (Zeitoun 2009).
References
Al Bakry, M. (2010). survey on teenage smoking held. gulfnews.com. Web.
Hafez, S. (2010). mmjnews, youth smoking ants to get high. Web.
Muslim Report, staff reporter (2010). UAE ministry plans to ban smoking shisha and midwakh in public. Web.
Saberi, A.(2010) Senior Reporter; Girls as young as six smoke in GCC. Web.
Zeitoun, M.(2009) call on tobacco sponsors. Web.