Smokers aged nine in UK’s poorest town

The average age to start smoking in Britain's most deprived town is just nine, according to a National Health Service survey cited Thursday by The Sun.

But many are even younger. One boy got hooked aged three because his grandparents thought it was funny to give him cigarettes.

The shock findings came from Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales -- blighted by few jobs, poor wages and dependence on state benefits.

"Unfortunately, it is realistic. I had a patient who started between two and three. His parents gave him cigarettes because they thought it was funny," researcher Tracey Bowen said.

The study was carried out after medics noticed the high number of tobacco-related illnesses in the former industrial town.

"These figures are truly alarming. Childhood smoking is quite rare -- less than one percent of people under 11 smoke regularly -- so this is unusual," said smoking expert and Birmingham University professor Paul Aveyard. "It is worrying, as you become more addicted to smoking the earlier you start. Starting younger is also associated with a higher risk of smoking-related diseases."

Merthyr, population 55,000, has one of the UK's lowest life-expectancy rates and one of the highest rates of people claiming health-related state benefits

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3457234/Smokers-take-up-habit-aged-9-on-average-in-UKs-poorest-town.html

2010 State of Tobacco Control Report

The American Lung Association has released its 2010 State of Tobacco Control report. Florida and Georgia both received F's in more than on category.

Resident Tommy Lewis kicked the habit years ago and says he never looked back."I smoked from the time I was 20 years old til about the time I was 30, and I quit about 20 years ago and have not smoked since. I put then down one day and never picked them back up" said Lewis.

The report says the economic cost of smoking in Georgia is just under 6 billion dollars while Florida comes in at more than 12 billion.

Florida and Georgia both received failing grades for Tobacco prevention and spending control. For Smoke-Free Air, Florida maintained its B average while Georgia maintained a C.

Non-smoker Sarah Bishop says, "I think it's an unhealthy habit. I've know a lot of people who have suffered health risks from it. I know my step day was told if he had another cigarette it would kill him."

The Lung Association report says more than 28-thousand deaths in Florida and more than 10-thousand in Georgia are related to smoking.

A total of eight states received all "F's" ... and while many received higher scores, no state on the report received all A's.

Thomas Carr who is the Director of National Policies for The American Lung Association says, "Georgia got three F's and a C and Florida got two F's and B and a D. I think Florida actually is a good example of where some of the policies are starting to have an impact."

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http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/2010_State_of_Tobacco_Control_Report__114404204.html

Secondhand smoke kills 600,000 a year worldwide

Secondhand smoke sickens millions and kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year, including more than 165,000 children under 5, according to the first report to estimate the worldwide burden of disease and death from tobacco.

The World Health Organization's report on 192 countries appeared in The Lancet on Thursday and found more than half of the deaths are from heart disease, followed by deaths from cancer, lung infections, asthma and other ailments.

More than two-thirds of the children's deaths are in Africa and Asia, where they have less access to important public health services, such as vaccines, and less advanced medical care, the report says.

"These (statistics) are sad data," the American Cancer Society's Tom Glynn says.

Tobacco kills a total of 5.7 million people worldwide each year, including 5.1 million people who die from their own smoking, the report says. Smoking is the world's leading cause of preventable death, according to the WHO.

Growing concern about secondhand smoke has led more than 40 countries to enact some kind of smoking ban, although many of these laws are limited, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

In the USA, 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Northern Mariana Islands have smoke-free laws, protecting 79% of the population.

According to the new report, children are particularly vulnerable. About 40% are exposed to secondhand smoke, along with one-third of adults. Kids exposed to secondhand smoke are at higher risk of a variety of illnesses, such as asthma, pneumonia, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome.

Almost half of all deaths from secondhand smoke are in adult women, while 28% are in children.

"The combination of infectious diseases and tobacco seems to be a deadly combination for children," the report says.

Because researchers used conservative estimates, the report may underestimate the number of secondhand smoke-related deaths, says Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California-San Francisco.

Glynn says he does see "glimmers of hope" in the report. Smoking bans protect only 7% of the world's population, suggesting lawmakers could save many lives by passing smoking bans, he says.

The bans can have dramatic benefits, the report says. Heart attack rates drop 10% to 20% in the first year after the bans are enacted.

Studies show smoke-free laws encourage smokers to quit and to make their homes smoke-free, Glynn says.

"There is virtually no parent who does not care deeply about protecting their children from harm," he says. "They will do the right thing if made aware."

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http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2010-11-26-smoke26_st_N.htm

Concern over Aishwarya film poster

National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) India, the body working for tobacco eradication, on Tuesday wrote to actor Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan expressing concern over use of her images smoking a cigarette in the banners of film Guzaarish displayed all over Mumbai.

Shekhar Salkar, honorary secretary of NOTE told The Hindu here that in the past they had knocked on every door to prevent the clandestine promotion of tobacco using actors. This, he said, contravened the provisions of the Central anti-tobacco legislation. He said he would issue a legal notice to the actor under the provisions of the anti-tobacco legislation for the alleged advertisement of tobacco smoking in the public.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article890512.ece