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Introduction

Tobacco cigarette smoking, hereafter referred to as “smoking,” is one of the most

common forms of recreational drug use. It is the largest single risk factor for premature

death in developed countries and is the single most preventable cause of morbidity and

mortality (National Environmental Health Association, 2008). The first European to

discover smoking was Christopher Columbus. When the European explored smoking in

the 15th and 16th centuries, smoking became known to the rest of the world and saw it

being used as a medicine and as a hallucinogen by Native Americans.

According to Jason Young (2012), tobacco is a name used for plants of the genus

Nicotiana of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. The name is also used for the product

manufactured from tobacco leaves and used in cigars, cigarettes, snuff, and pipe and

chewing tobacco. Different species of the tobacco plant, with different characteristics

associated with smoking (e.g. fast burning, slow burning, mild, strong), have become

popular in different parts of the world. The primary active ingredient of tobacco is the

alkaloid nicotine, which is responsible for its narcotic and soothing qualities.

A tobacco contains around 7,000 chemicals. There are approximately 600

ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69

of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous (American Lung

Association, 2015). Despite the known hazards of smoking, 22.7% overall (15.9 million

adults), 40.3% of men and 5.1% of women currently smoke tobacco. 18.7% overall (13.1

million adults), 33.9% of men and 3.6% of women currently smoke tobacco daily. 21.5%

overall (15.1 million adults), 38.9% of men and 4.2% of women

currently smoke manufactured cigarettes in the Philippines (World Health Organization,

2015).

Nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. More than 3,800

youth under age 18 smoke their first cigarette, today nearly one in four high school seniors

and one in three young adults under age 26 smoke ([Link], 2012). Around 3,200

young people try a cigarette for the first time each day and nearly 2,100 youth and young

adults become daily smokers (Truth Initiative, 2015). Most young people don’t consider

the long-term health consequences associated with tobacco use when they start smoking.

Because most high school smokers are not able to break free from the powerful, addicting

effects of nicotine, about three out of four will smoke in adulthood ([Link], 2012).

Tobacco was introduced in the Philippines in the late 16th century during the era

of Spanish colonization when the Augustinians brought cigar tobacco seeds to the colony

for cultivation. In 1686, William Dampier visited Mindanao and observed that smoking

was a widespread custom. It had also become an article of foreign trade with the Dutch

from Tidore and Ternate buying rice, beeswax and tobacco from the Spanish colony.

Hisona (2011). Tobacco is really dangerous to our health especially the lungs. Still, minors

smoke because they wanted to be cool, or either relieved their stress in smoking cigarettes.

There are a lot of reasons why a person starts to smoke.

According to the American Thoracic Society (2017), for some teens it is a way to

rebel against their parents. Other teens may feel pressure from their friends and begin

smoking as a way to appear cool. Some may be modeling a parent’s or sibling’s behavior,
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and others believe it is a way to relieve stress or boredom. Even if you don’t think you are

going to keep smoking, it is very easy to get addicted because of the nicotine found in all

tobacco products. Tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug that makes it difficult

for smokers to kick the habit. Tobacco products also contain many poisonous and harmful

substances that cause disease and premature death.

Nicotine is a chemical that is present in all forms of tobacco. Nicotine is highly

addictive. It is well known to have serious systemic side effects in addition to being highly

addictive (Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol, 2015). When a person uses tobacco, either by

smoking cigarettes, using chewing tobacco or by using another form of tobacco, nicotine

enters the body and activates nicotine receptors in the brain. Nicotine that is inhaled in

cigarette smoke is absorbed by the lungs into the bloodstream and quickly goes to the heart

and brain. The brain reacts to the nicotine by releasing chemicals that imitate the same

effects on a person’s mood as amphetamines and cocaine. Nicotine is a stimulant that

speeds up a person’s reaction time and increases his or her attention and focus (American

Thoracic Society, 2017). Most young smokers become adult smokers. One-half of adult

smokers die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases (Fagerström 2002; Doll et al.

2004).Whatever the reason someone first tried a cigarette, it’s probably not the same reason

why they keep smoking now.

In the study of Sasha (2010), Cigarette smoke and adverse health effects: An

overview of research trends and future needs, a large volume of data has accumulated on

the issues of tobacco and health worldwide. The relationship between tobacco use and

health stems initially from clinical observations about lung cancer, the first disease

definitively linked to tobacco use. Almost 35 years ago, the Office of the Surgeon General
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of the United States Health Service reviewed over 7000 research papers on the topic of

smoking and health, and publicly recognized the role of smoking in various diseases,

including lung cancer. Since then, numerous studies have been published that substantiate

the strong association of tobacco use with a variety of adverse human health effects, most

prominently with cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Cigarette smoking is regarded as a

major risk factor in the development of lung cancer, which is the main cause of cancer

deaths in men and women in the United States and the world. Major advances have been

made by applying modern genetic technologies to examine the relationship between

exposure to tobacco smoke and the development of diseases in human populations.

In the article of Hoester (2012), Smoking Behavior among College students, despite

laws banning smoking under 18 years of age, smoking habits are usually formed in

adolescence. More than 80% of adult smokers begin smoking before 18 years of age (Youth

and Tobacco Use, 2012). For this and other reasons, this age group is frequently the focus

of smoking research. The National Youth Tobacco Survey in America, a school-based

survey of middle school and high school students, has been a valuable source of

information concerning the tobacco use and perceptions among adolescents since it was

first issued in 2000.

The study focused on the inclusion of students who make use of tobacco cigarette

that may be of importance to the school. The findings of the study will give the institution

knowledge about the addictive smoking behaviors encountered by the students that may

help in providing appropriate inclusive education programs suitable to the said problem.

The result of the study will be of importance to the teachers to provide assistance and

guidance suitable for the students that smokes frequently. The findings of the study will
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help the parents of the students to be well informed about their children’s addictive

behavior so that they will know what to do in terms of helping their child to be educated

about the effects of tobacco smoking. Having this knowledge may help change the attitudes

of students towards the addiction in Tobacco Smoking. The findings of the study will help

the students to understand more about the effects that smoking brings. The result of the

study will serve as reference material and a guide for future researchers who wish to

conduct similar study.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine and answer the following questions for better

comprehension of the topic:

1. How are the respondents described in terms of:

1.1 Age

1.2 Sex

2. What advantages and disadvantages can one acquire from smoking tobacco

cigarette?

3. What are the main factors why students are engaged in tobacco smoking?

4. How does smoking tobacco cigarette affects the respondents in terms of their;

4.1 Health Aspects

Hypothesis

The researchers speculate that the addictive tobacco smoking by the students that

are mostly youths has immediate adverse health consequences, which includes an

unhealthy addiction that affects the health aspect of the student and accelerates the

development of chronic diseases with a long-term use of tobacco cigarette. These

hypotheses will be addressed in the further part of the research, it can be null, rejected or

confirmed by the data collected in the study.

The null hypothesis of the study is the following:

1. There is no disadvantages ca one acquires from smoking tobacco cigarette.

2. There are no factors on why the students are engaged in tobacco smoking.

3. Smoking tobacco cigarette does not affect the health aspect of the students.