Modeling Health Risks Associated with Second-hand Tobacco Smoke Exposure

NIL

Abstract

A non-smoker who is exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke is in danger of suffering from diseases such as coronary heart disease, asthma attacks, stroke and lung cancer. This exposure occurs in various set tings, including living with smokers at home, visiting bars and casinos, public places, and transport vehicles. Additionally, individuals exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke may experience severe health risks includ ing deaths. To gain insights about the dynamics of second-hand tobacco smoke exposure and its associated health risks to non-smokers, a deterministic mathematical model is developed and analysed. Such a model is developed by using non-linear first order ordinary differential equations and the analysis was carried out ana lytically and numerically. Numerical simulation results in this study confirm that, 90% increase in interaction between smokers and non-smokers can increase health risks to non-smokers by 7%. Additionally, the formu lated system exhibits backward bifurcation implying the possibility of having large outbreaks of health risks related to second-hand tobacco smoke even in communities with a relatively small number of smokers. The study underscores the importance of interventions to mitigate the health risks associated with second-hand tobacco smoke. Specifically, efforts should focus on reducing interactions between smokers and non-smokers during smoking or providing robust support mechanisms to help smokers quit.