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Introduction
In their article on smoking-related hazards, the authors refer to the measurements made by national healthcare representatives to define the benefits of smoking-cessation at various ages. The studies that have been conducted since 1980 suggest that smoking causes 25 percent of deaths among people aged from 35 to 69 years old (Jha et al., 2013). The key question of the research was to identify how the use of tobacco and cessation of smoking impacts human health. The researchers supported their opinion using cessation histories from nearly 88 thousand male and above 113 thousand female participants of the U.S. National Health Interview Survey. The findings showed that for smokers aged 25 to 79 the rates of death were about three times higher than for those who had never smoked (Jha et al., 2013). Thus, the authors hypothesis that smoking cessation at earlier ages reduces the risk of habit-related death has been proven by the study results that show a 90% reduction in lethal outcomes.
Evaluating the Research Methods
The authors refer to a whole variety of scholarly resources when analyzing the National Health Survey. All in all, 30 sources were used as references for a current study. Nevertheless, the researchers do not provide a literature review since that particular work section would require too much space to be done properly. In the meantime, all the relevant data are supported by evidence and quotes from other scientific studies.
The research appears to be corresponding to todays healthcare needs, for smoking remains the cause of premature deaths worldwide (Jha et al., 2013). According to the claim of Jamal et al. (2014), tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, resulting in more than 480,000 premature deaths and $289 billion in direct health care expenditures and productivity losses each year (p. 1108). Despite the fact a substantial number of smokers have quit the habit in recent decades, the occurrences of deaths related to lung cancer are still high. According to the current statistics, the rates of involvement have proven to be higher for women rather than for men. Because the situation with smoking continues to demonstrate negative dynamics, it is reasonable to suggest that the research is still relevant for further study of the issue.
Regarding the type of utilized research, the study can be referred to as a quasi-experimental type of work since its major objective is to estimate the causal impact of smoking-cessation on the quality of human life without conducting any specially arranged experiments. The authors use the data retrieved from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The research data were systematized using the results of 216,917 interviews that were held in the period from 1997 to 2004 (Jha et al., 2013). Hazard ratios were calculated using an age-stratified Cox proportional-hazards model. The authors closely considered such factors as a body-mass index, educational level, alcohol consumption, etc. The differences in mortality between smokers and non-smokers were, however, omitted, which can be viewed as one of the major drawbacks of the study.
Sample Evaluation
As was already mentioned, the researchers used the NHIS data to evaluate the impact of smoking cessation on the quality of human life. A given survey is known to utilize a stratified, multistage sample design that permits representative sampling of households (Jha et al., 2013). A mentioned design involved selecting one adult aged above 18 years old from each household and conducting an interview with a selected person (Jamal et al., 2014). Eventually, the interview included questions related to health behaviors. Regarding the size of the sample, it was applied to every particular state and the District of Columbia, meaning that it covered an entire territory of the USA. Because the experiment included interviewing 35,000 households every year, an HNIS-based sample was a reasonable choice since large volumes of data had to be analyzed over a short period. As seen from the study results, it perfectly met the purposes of the research and was appropriate for assessing the data of such a huge number of interviewers.
The research seems to be practical, as it uses multiple data retrieved from a sufficient number of respondents and refers to a lot of scholarly studies when drawing a parallel between smoking-cessation and improvement in ones health conditions. The authors insist on the importance of their study for global tobacco control. As they write in their work, our findings are consistent with emerging evidence from China and India that cigarette smokers worldwide who continue to smoke can expect to lose about a decade of life (Jha et al., 2013, p. 350). They also state that while smoking-cessation rates are higher for well-developed countries, they are still very low in low- and middle-income countries. Considering this fact, one would suggest that using the researchers model of problem evaluation would lead to a significant improvement of the situation in these countries as well.
Suggestions to Improve the Study
The authors state freely that their research does have limitations. One of them is that HNIS excludes incarcerated adults who often have tobacco addiction problems. Eventually, it is recommended to consider this particular issue to operate with full data when attempting to assess the situation with smoking. Also, the study cannot guarantee that former smokers do not use tobacco on an occasional basis. Therefore, to be objective in ones judgments, the researchers need to conduct their experiment, in which a group of former smokers would be monitored in a clinical setting. With these measures being applied one would have a clear picture of whether the aggravation in their health conditions (if any) is a result of smoking or, perhaps, some other factors.
All in all, the article is represented as a fully straightforward scientific study uncovering plenty of statistical data and survey findings. The authors operate with a sufficient amount of information recorded over 7 years. The language they use is comprehensibly boasting a logic sentence structure and a proper level of informative value. Also, the number of used references serves as proof of the overall credibility of the research. Considering all the above-mentioned advantages, one can conclude that the article is a relevant source for further studies of smoking-related issues. Further research could be conducted to include all the data that were previously unavailable due to the occurring limitations of the study. As long as those data are absent one cannot speak of an irreproachably conducted analysis.
Conclusion
The study of smoking-cessation made by Jha et al. brings plenty of evidence to the fact that habit quitting has an overall positive impact on the state of human health. The research they have conducted boasts a proper level of informative value and provides relevant statistical data about the lifespan and quality of life of both smokers and non-smokers. The article has proven to be useful for further studies of the issue.
References
Jamal, A., Agaku, I. T., OConnor, E., King, B. A., Kenemer, J. B., & Neff, L. (2014). Current cigarette smoking among adults United States, 2005-2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 63(47), 1108-1112.
Jha, P., Ramasundarahettige, C., Landsman, V., Rostron, B., Thun, M., Anderson, R. N., & Peto, R. (2013). 21st-century hazards of smoking and benefits of cessation in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(4), 341-350.
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