Overview of Tobacco smoking in Kenya: Health Impacts

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Introduction
Tobacco usage is common in all parts of the world. It is a menace that cuts across. Tobacco usage is commonly in form of smoking tobacco that is manufactured such as cigarettes, hand rolled cigarettes, cigars, pipes (Tobacco Atlas, 2015). According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Atlastobacco smoking is prevalent across the work with Russia having 39% occurrence and Nigeria is having 4% prevalence. In most parts of the world, smoking is done by both genders but men smoke more than women. However, the ratio differs and the country with the highest difference in the ratio is Egypt at 76:1. Tobacco smoking has many effects ranging from health and environmental effects. This paper discusses tobacco usage in Kenya, the effects tobacco products have on the economy and the policies that can help in regulating tobacco usage in the country.
Overview of Tobacco smoking in Kenya
Kenya is a country in Africa (East Africa) on the Indian Ocean and has an approximate population of 40 million people. The country has a great number of people who are involved in tobacco smoking. Tobacco products, especially manufactured cigarettes are readily available and are mostly sold by the small vendors in shops and therefore easily accessible to the consumers (Drope 150). According to the Tobacco Atlasmore men than women smoke cigarettes, 20.2 % of the country’s smokers are men while 1.4% are women smokers. Children are also into smoking and 11.2% of children smokers are boys while 5.2% of children smokers are girls. The Kenyan government has been working towards regulating the tobacco industry since it has negative effects on the health of the consumers. We discuss the impacts of tobacco on the health of the consumers and on the economy of Kenya.
Health Impacts
Tobacco smoking has negative health effects on the user. Research has been carried out to determine the connection between tobacco and some diseases. Different research findings have pointed that cigarettes are manufactured using many different chemicals which 70 of those chemicals are toxic and can cause damage to all parts of the smokers’ body. The major illness associated with tobacco is cancer and it can be cancer of the lungs, pancreases, mouth cancer, throat cancer, lip cancer and many others (Global Adult Tobacco Survey Atlas) .
According to Tobacco Atlas causes the deaths of over 6000 people every year in Kenya. The number of people using tobacco in the country continues to increase and that means that more people are at a risk of dying of tobacco related illnesses. Tobacco smoking in Kenya also puts people who are non-smokers at risk. There are places that do not have smoking zones and therefore, smokers and non-smokers are confined in one area which they all get the effects of the smoke. Some people are also just stubborn and want to smoke anywhere, regardless of whether it has a “No Smoking” sign or not.
Tobacco smoking also causes mental illness and addiction. There are people who cannot do without smoking and they will do anything just to ensure they smoke. Addiction to smoking means since the nicotine in tobacco products is addictive, whe...