Smoking Quiz - May 2009

How much do you know...about smoking?                                                    

 

1. The number of deaths in America that are from smoking-related illnesses are:

       a.  less than those from not wearing seatbelts

       b.  one in ten

       c.  one in five

 

2. The monthly cost of smoking one pack a day is:

       a.  $55                         b.  $90             c.  $150

 

3. If a smoker tries to quit 4 times and fails, and goes back to smoking, the attempts have done no good.  True or False?

 

4. Smoking causes which of the following diseases?

      a.  Lung cancer

      b.  cancers of the mouth and throat, esophagus, and bladder

      c.  kidney, pancreatic, cervical, and stomach cancers

      d.  leukemia

      e.  emphysema and chronic bronchitis

      f.  heart disease, stroke

     g.  cataracts

 

5. Secondhand smoke may cause illness, but does not cause death. True or False?

 

6. Smoking low-tar cigarettes, compared to cigarettes with higher tar and nicotine, provides no clear benefit to health. True or False?

 

7. Nicotine is the most harmful substance in cigarettes, and it's natural so it's not that bad. True or False?

 

Answers:

1. c. More than 435,000 Americans die each year from smoking-related illness (compared with 37,313 people killed in all motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2008).

2. c. $150 a month

3. False. It takes time and skills to learn to be a non-smoker. Most people make 5-7 attempts before they are able to stay away from smoking. Each attempt can help a smoker learn more about how to finally successfully stop smoking permanently. People who stop smoking for 3 months or longer have an excellent chance of remaining cigarette free for the rest of their lives.

4. You knew this. All of the above.

5. False. Each year in the United States alone, secondhand smoke is responsible for:

• an estimated 35,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers
• about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults
• 150,000 to 300,000 lung infections in children younger than 18 months of age
• 4-fold increases in asthma attacks in children
• more than 750,000 middle ear infections in children

6. True

7. False. Cigarette smoke contains over 60 carcinogens. Many of these, such as carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, and lead, are poisonous and toxic to the human body. Nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco, is very addictive. Cigarette companies manipulate the level of nicotine in cigarettes to make sure that smokers become addicted. Nicotine addiction is similar to the addiction produced by using heroin and cocaine. During smoking, nicotine is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and travels to the brain in a matter of seconds. It causes the release of chemicals that create feelings of pleasure and energy. Within a half hour, the "buzz" fades away and the smoker is left feeling depressed and tired. This feeling is what causes smoker to light up the next cigarette, and the cycle continues.

 

References

• 1. PLoS Med. 2009 Apr 28;6(4): The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. Danaei G, et al.
• 2. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet
• 3. your local grocery store- $5 per pack x 30 days= $150
• 4. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet
• 5. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet
• 6. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. 2004
• 7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco Use in the United States., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nicotine Addiction: A Report of the Surgeon General