• THE MEDICAL LINK
Literature Review on Smoking Behaviours Among Younger Population and Predicted Healthcare Burden in Samoa Dr. Anne Lazari, Oceania University of Medicine | anne.lazari@oum.edu.ws
Abstract
A
im: this preliminary pilot study aimed to explore a correlation between COVID-19 presentation with e-cigarettes vapers in the Western Sydney region of Australia. Method: extracted data from questionaries completed by 100 Australians residing in Western Sydney region who were infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic from March 2020 to March 2022 was analyzed. Data collected included patient age, biological gender, years of vaping, if vaping began prior to COVID-19, weekly vaping frequency, the year COVID-19 was contracted, and the category of COVID-19 symptoms. The symptoms are scaled in four categories for this study from lowest severity to high severity based on World Health Organization’s classifications. Results: Vapers in Western Sydney Australia experienced higher severity COVID-19 presentations compared to non-vapers. Biological males were found to be more susceptible than biological females for experiencing the highest severity. Vapers with higher years of vaping had severe COVID-19 presentations compared to lesser years of vaping. Conclusion: Among adults in Western Sydney Australia aged 18 years and above, the collected data showed a correlation between e-cigarette vapers reporting higher severity of COVID-19 presentations compared to non-vapers of the same demographic when they contracted
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COVID-19.
Introduction The purpose of this literature review is to explore the smoking behaviour in Samoa which continues to cause a weight burden on the healthcare system because of tobacco smoking on cardiovascular diseases and lung diseases. Samoa is in the South Pacific region with a population of 222,382 at the 2022 census. Samoa experienced a demographic and an epidemiological transition in the mid-twentieth century with an increase in non-communicable diseases (Ministry of Health Samoa. Preventing chronic condition) which was attributed to increasing secular trends with one of the highest risk factors being tobacco smoking. This increase in risk factor contributes significantly to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive disease (Doll R, Hill B. 1956). Notably, tobacco smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable mortality. Tobacco smoking was introduced in the Pacific Islands during the European maritime global exploration and since then sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it became a sought after good to the Pacific Islanders. In 1979, Fiji Tobacco Company opened a cigarette manufacturing company in Samoa. During that time education on tobacco cigarettes was disseminated across medical and health departments as well as non-government organizations. With those subsequent declines in smoking was documented
by high-income countries but not in lower- and middle-income countries, particularly in the Pacific Island region (Taylor R et al 2006). A country-wide study was conducted with surveys analysed between 1991-2013 which found education about tobacco was higher in non-smokers compared to current smokers. Similarly, the data showed a decline in overall use compared to the 1960s-1970s. The hesitation of the Pacific Island Governments to discourage tobacco smoking in the peak period of 1960s-1970s was likely influenced by the economic growth from Fiji manufacturing industry (Linhart C et al 2017). The delay in roll out of education early on especially to the younger population likely contributed to the current comorbidities experienced by the elderly population. Notably, it can be assumed with education in the period after, a decline in smoking habit was achieved, which indicates more efforts towards education against tobacco smoking could further improve prevalence in Samoa. How Smoking Contributes to Mortality Increase in Samoa Cigarette smoking is associated with significantly higher fibrinogen values which further increased with the amount smoked in each sex. Smoking significantly increases mortality rates in Samoa for both males and females as it causes physiological changes to multiple body systems. The Framingham Study with over 10 years of follow, showed 165 men and 147 women developing cardiovascular