o inhale more often and more deeply than cigarette smokers.
Age of Smoking Initiation:
Most smokers try their first cigarette before the age of 18 and become addicted during adolescence.
Second Hand Smoke:
In 1993, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that secondhand smoke is a "known human carcinogen." The EPA also reported that secondhand smoke causes some 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year among U.S. nonsmokers.
Although secondhand smoke remains a major public health concern, nonsmokers' exposure to tobacco smoke declined more than 75 percent from 1988-1991 to 1999.
In 1999, nearly 7 out of 10 U.S. workers reported a smoke-free policy in their workplace.
State laws that protect against secondhand smoke slowly became more common in the past decade. It appears that greater improvement came from voluntary or local efforts during that time.
Also, the sooner one quits smoking, the better. Long-term smokers who stop smoking at around 50 or 60 years of age are less likely to get lung cancer than are people who continue to smoke. Quitting at around age 30 lowers this risk even more.
The quickest non-cancer health benefit of quitting is a lower risk of coronary heart disease. This risk is cut in half after 1 year of quitting. After 15 years, the chance of getting the disease is similar to that of people who never smoked.
Studies show that most smokers want to quit.
Efforts to reduce smoking are most effective when multiple techniques are used, including educational, clinical, regulatory, and economic interventions (for example, increasing excise taxes), along with media campaigns and other social strategies.
Efforts to help young people delay or avoid smoking may help to prevent some cancers.
Additional important steps are maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, eating a low-fat diet and enough fruits and vegetables, avoiding too much alcohol, and protecting skin from sunlight.
Two drinks daily increase the risk of getting breast cancer by about 25 percent. The chances of getting liver cancer increase with five or more daily drinks.
The earlier that long-term, heavy alcohol use begins, the greater the cancer risk. Also, using alcohol with tobacco is riskier than using either one alone, because it further increases the chances of getting cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus.
People who drink and smoke may find it harder to stop either of these behaviors.
Drinking low levels of alcohol can have both negative and positive health effects: It raises the risk of getting breast cancer and lowers the risk of getting heart disease. Therefore, women who already are at low risk for heart disease could reduce their risk of breast cancer by avoiding regular alcohol use.
In general, increased exposure to the sun—especially without adequate use of sunscreen and protective clothing—increases the chances of getting skin cancer.
Some research suggests that people apply less than an adequate amount of sunscreen and fail to reapply it appropriately.
Since the mid-1980s, fewer high school students have taken part in physical education classes.
Removing barriers (such as lack of physical education classes) and setting up supports (such as bicycle and walking paths) can help to promote physically active lifestyles.
Also, being overweight increases the chances of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
In women, overweight and obesity, weight gain, and increased amounts of fat at the waist or around the body's mid-section double to triple the chances of getting endometrial cancer. These factors also double the chances of getting breast cancer after menopause.
Obesity and increased body fat raise the risk of getting colorectal cancer. Overweight and obesity are linked to an increased risk of some types of esophageal and kidney cancers.
Daily physical activity balanced with appropriate calorie intake is one of the most effective ways to avoid weight gain. Lack of activity is believed to be one of the major reasons for the increase in overweight among U.S. youth and adults.
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