skip to content
Health Effects of Smoking
Smoking is an important risk factor for the three diseases that cause most deaths in Australia: heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. It is responsible for around 80% of all lung cancer deaths and 20% of all cancer deaths. Smoking has also been linked to cancers of the mouth, bladder, kidney, stomach and cervix, among others. Smokers are also at increased risk of having reduced lung function from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Using tobacco has been linked to a variety of other conditions, such as diabetes, peptic ulcers, some vision problems, and back pain. Smoking in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth.
The HealthInsite topic page on Passive Smoking has links to information on the health effects of passive exposure to smoke.
Updated January 2012
Related HealthInsite Topics
Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about the effects of smoking on cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart disease.
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information on the possible harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy.
41 Resources Found
| Title: | Cigarettes and smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | This topic looks at reasons why some young people start smoking, and why many get addicted to smoking. |
| Date: | Dec 2011 |
| Title: | Smoking - giving up smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Did you know that 80% of young people who smoke regularly continue to smoke as adults? Nearly half the smokers under 30 started smoking by the age of 15. |
| Date: | Oct 2011 |
| Title: | Diabetes can affect your eyes - myDr.com.au |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | myDr |
| Description: | Diabetes increases the risk of eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema, cataracts and glaucoma. |
| Date: | Oct 2011 |
| Title: | Tobacco use |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet |
| Description: | These web pages provide information and resources about tobacco use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. |
| Date: | Jan 2012 |
| Title: | Welcome to the Quitnow website |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing |
| Description: | This is the web site of the Australian National Tobacco Campaign. The site is a one-stop-shop with all the information you need on the campaign and how to get information on quitting. |
| Date: | Sep 2011 |
| Title: | Lifestyle factors |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health |
| Description: | Smoking is known to have an adverse affect on bone health and results in a significant loss of bone mass (bone mineral density). |
| Date: | Jul 2011 |
| Title: | The effect of smoking on eye health - how smoking affects the eyes |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Virtual Medical Centre.com |
| Description: | How smoking affects eye health: There is an increased risk of a number of eye disorders, not only in those who smoke, but also in those who are frequently exposed to tobacco smoke. These eye disorders include allergic conjunctivitis, cataract, age related macular degeneration and thyroid eye disease. |
| Date: | Jun 2011 |
| Title: | Varenicline (Champix) for quitting smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | National Prescribing Service |
| Description: | Find out what varenicline does, its side effects, and how it compares with other medicines for quitting. Find out about ways to quit without medicines too. |
| Date: | Aug 2011 |
| Title: | Smoking and eye disease |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Smoking may be a risk factor for certain eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and some forms of cataracts. Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness in the Western world. Quitting smoking, or not starting in the first place, is one way you can help protect your eyes from unnecessary risks. |
| Date: | Mar 2011 |
| Title: | Health benefits of quitting smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Virtual Medical Centre.com |
| Description: | WHO estimates that about 5 million people around the world die from smoking every year. With the extensive knowledge we possess regarding the detrimental health effects associated with this habit, it is time to quit. |
| Date: | Feb 2011 |
| Title: | Substance use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) |
| Description: | The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the prevalence of substance use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as the use of services for substance abuse. |
| Date: | Feb 2011 |
| Title: | Smoking tobacco is deadly |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Tobacco causes more illness and death than any other drug. One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit, half of them in middle age. Tobacco smoke contains a deadly cocktail of chemicals and can cause a range of cancers. Tobacco smoke also causes heart disease, stroke and emphysema. The nicotine in cigarettes is addictive but most smokers say they want to quit. |
| Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Title: | Smoking and mental illness |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | SANE Australia |
| Description: | People with mental illness, like many others, often smoke because they have learned to use it as a way of dealing with feelings such as boredom or stress. |
| Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Title: | Smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Inspire Foundation |
| Description: | This fact sheet contains information on why people smoke, the effects of smoking, and how to stop smoking. |
| Date: | Sep 2010 |
| Title: | Myths and misconceptions about smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The Cancer Council Australia |
| Description: | Answers general questions about the myths and misconceptions about smoking. |
| Date: | Jul 2010 |
| Title: | Animation: effects of smoking - myDr.com.au |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | myDr |
| Description: | The effects of smoking on your body and your mind can be viewed by clicking the body part on this interactive animation. |
| Date: | May 2010 |
| Title: | Smoking statistics |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Smoking-related diseases killed 14,900 Australians in 2004–05. This means there were 40 preventable deaths every day. Major tobacco-related diseases include cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking kills more men than women and smoking rates are higher among younger age groups and people with a lower level of education. |
| Date: | Apr 2010 |
| Title: | Smoking - effects on your body |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco that causes smokers to continue their smoking habit. Along with nicotine, smokers also inhale about 4,000 other chemicals. These chemicals harm nearly every organ in the body. |
| Date: | Mar 2010 |
| Title: | The effect of smoking on the mouth - how smoking affects the mouth |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Virtual Medical Centre.com |
| Description: | Smoking plays a part in several diseases and lesions in the mouth, the most common being gum disease. The chance of dental implant failure is also more common among smokers than among non-smokers. |
| Date: | Mar 2010 |
| Title: | Giving up smoking |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women's Health |
| Description: | People can usually list many good reasons for not smoking or giving up smoking. Often they are the very people who cannot seem to stop, even when they know there is no safe level of smoking. |
| Date: | Jan 2010 |
