Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death among Indian people. 1

Smoking harms nearly every organ of your body. It causes disease and worsens your health. 2

Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 chemicals, 50 carcinogens, and 400 hundred other toxins. 3

Native Americans have the highest rate of tobacco use (32.0%) when compared with other groups. 4

Smoking prevalence among Natives in the Northern Plains is about 44.2%. 5

Quitting smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke is the only way to reduce your risk of tobacco related diseases.
Quitting smoking may be difficult but, You Can Quit! and we have the resources to help.

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Smoking & Cancer

Smoking causes cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), lung, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder.²
Smoking causes cancers of the stomach, cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia (cancer of the blood).²
Smokers are 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers.²
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Native Americans.^6,7
Light or low tar cigarettes will not reduce your risk of cancer.²
Chewing tobacco is known to cause cancer of the lip, tongue, cheek, mouth, and throat.⁸
Among the IHS user population, lung cancer mortality is highest in the Northern Plains and Alaska where smoking prevalence is the highest.⁷

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Smoking & Cardiovascular Disease

Smoking and smokeless tobacco damages blood vessels and cells within the heart increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. 2

Smokers are four times more likely to die from heart disease than nonsmokers. 2

Smoking increases the risk of dangerous blood clots that lead to stroke and reduced circulation. 2

Smoking causes the hardening and narrowing of your arteries that eventually result in heart disease and stroke. 2

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How does smoking affect coronary heart disease risk?

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. When it acts with other factors, it greatly increases risk. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. Smoking also increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery. Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for young men and women. It produces a greater relative risk in persons under age 50 than in those over 50. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke compared with nonsmoking women who use oral contraceptives.

Smoking & Respiratory Disease

Smoking is responsible for more than 90% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths each year.²
Emphysema is a form of COPD.
Smoking prevents the lungs and bronchus from fighting infection. As a result, smokers have more upper and lower respiratory tract infections than nonsmokers.²
Smoking during childhood and adolescence slows lung growth leading to decline in lung function at an earlier age.²
Mothers who smoke during pregnancy hurt the lungs of their babies.²

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Smoking & Reproductive Health

The Facts about How Smoking Harms Mother and Child

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes such as low infant birth weight, miscarriage, and preterm labor. 2

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). 2

Cases of SIDS occur more frequently in the Aberdeen Area than any other IHS area. 9

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of complications such as placenta previa (when the placenta grows too close to the opening of the womb) and placental abruption (when the life nourishing placenta separates from the womb too early). 2

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References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic losses-United States, 1997-2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2005; 54 (25): 625-628.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking: what it means to you. DHHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health 2004.
National Toxicology Program. (2002) 11th Report on Carcinogens. Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking among adults – United States, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2006; 55 (42):1145-1148.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance for health behaviors of American Indians and Alaska Natives: Findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1997-2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002; 52 (No. SS-7).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Services. (2004). Trends in Indian health, 2000 – 2001 edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Espey DK, Paisano RE, and Cobb N. Cancer mortality among American Indians and Alaska Natives: regional differences, 1994-1998. Indian Health Service. IHS Pub. No. 97-615-28, revised October 2003. Rockville, MD.
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Summaries and evaluations tobacco products, smokeless (Group 1); February 1998. Available at: http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/suppl7/tobaccosmokeless.html.
Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board. (1990). Mi cinca kin tonwani ewaktonji kte sni – I will never forget my child: results of the Aberdeen Area Infant Mortality Study. Aberdeen, SD: AATCHB.