Today, Russia leads in the number of people who use tobacco. As of 2012, about 65% of men and 30% of women are smokers. The same sad statistics state: the Russian Federation ranks first in nicotine addiction among children.
The harm of smoking for adolescents is a topic that should not just be discussed, it is necessary to scream about it publicly. Adult people who are aware of the harmful effects of tobacco on health have already made their choice. But to protect children from this dangerous disease is a matter of paramount importance.
To begin with, the harm of smoking for adolescents is incomparably greater than for people who have come of age. The child’s body is more susceptible to the poisons contained in the cigarette. The child’s vulnerable nerve cells are depleted under the influence of toxic substances, thereby reducing cognitive abilities and causing fatigue, both physical and mental.
In addition, the lion's share of smokers makes their first puff exactly at the age of 18 years. Moreover, mortality among such people is higher than that of those who “became acquainted” with nicotine as an adult. Pathologies of the respiratory system more often develop in smokers from the "school bench".
As you know, nicotine thins the walls of blood vessels, while thickening the blood. At a young age, problems with the cardiovascular system are rare, so children often do not feel negative consequences for their health. But the harm of smoking for adolescents is obvious: it is in childhood that the formation and adjustment of all body systems occurs. When poisonous substances roughly invade these processes, underdevelopment of organs, a decrease in muscle tone, and a noticeable slowdown in growth occur.
Eyes suffer especially from smoking, since the capillaries supplying them with nutrients are spasmodic, atrophy under the influence of nicotine and cease to fulfill their transport function of oxygen delivery. In a child subject to nicotine addiction, vision deteriorates sharply.
Also, the harm of smoking for adolescents is to increase intraocular pressure. Smoke that corrodes the mucous membrane of the visual analyzer contributes to the early development of glaucoma. There are also known cases of so-called tobacco amblyopathy - blindness caused by this “bad habit”.
Speaking about the dangers of smoking for adolescents, one cannot fail to mention the activation of the thyroid gland, as a result of which there is an increase in heart rate, fever and sleep disturbance. The hormonal imbalance inherent in a child during puberty is exacerbated due to smoking.
Health problems caused by nicotine addiction occur in almost all body systems, as the poisons contained in a cigarette are carried by blood throughout the body.
The dangers of smoking for children and adults should be known to everyone. The problem of this dependence is the total illiteracy of the population from a medical point of view. While the children will hear that smoking is bad, but to see smoking adults around, this problem will remain unresolved. Educational anti-tobacco work in educational institutions and the family should be combined with the creation of a positive image of a non-smoker.