Tobacco epidemic

As many as 100 million Chinese men currently under age 30 will die from tobacco use.18 In India, about a quarter of deaths among middle-aged men are caused by smoking. As the number of smokers in this group increases with population growth, so will the number of deaths.
The shift of the tobacco epidemic to the developing world will lead to unprecedented levels of disease and early death in countries where population growth and the potential for increased tobacco use are highest and where health-care services are least available.
The rise in tobacco use among younger females in high-population countries is one of the most ominous potential developments of the epidemic’s growth. In many countries, women have traditionally not used tobacco: women smoke at about one fourth the rate of men. Because most women currently do not use tobacco, the tobacco industry aggressively markets to them to tap this potential new market. Advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including charitable donations to women’s causes, weaken cultural opposition to women using tobacco. Product design and marketing, including the use of attractive models in advertising and brands marketed specifically to women, are explicitly crafted to encourage women to smoke.