November 21, 2023, teacher of the Department of Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics named after Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan Raisov T.K. Galymbekov D.Zh. conducted informational and educational work for 1st year students of the specialty “Medicine”, “Pediatrics” in the form of a lecture on the topic: “Vape and its impact on human health.” The issues of the harm of vaping and other electronic cigarettes, and the formation of a value-based attitude towards their health among young people were considered.
Modern medical and sociological studies indicate a deterioration in people’s health when using conventional and electronic cigarettes. Every day on the streets of cities we see people exhaling a large amount of steam, using special devices for this. Vaping is a new trend among young people, smokers unite in groups, buy various vaping devices, which are improving every day by acquiring a new design and new aromatic properties (with the taste of cherry, mint, apple, lemon, coffee, etc.). The devices look like small boxes with a nozzle or long decorated metal cylinders, or they may even have an exclusive design. Vapecafes are opening in large cities, vape festivals and competitions are taking place. Smokers consider smoking electronic devices to be an absolutely safe imitation of smoking, but increasingly materials are published in various sources stating that the harm from smoking electronic cigarettes is comparable to the harm from smoking conventional ones. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies electronic cigarettes as electronic nicotine delivery systems and notes that their use has not been sufficiently investigated regarding safety and efficacy as a treatment for nicotine addiction. Every smoker of electronic devices must know that smoking is harmful to health, the consequences of smoking manifest themselves later.
In Kazakhstan, 9.8% of adolescents aged 11-15 years regularly consume electronic cigarettes/vapes. Due to the absence of the smell of burning and smoke, parents remain unaware of the development of nicotine addiction in their children for a long time. A timely ban on the turnover of vapes was introduced by 32 countries (Denmark, Norway, Uruguay, Argentina, Panama, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.).
The lecturer, D.J. Galymbekov, told the students about electronic cigarettes, their types, the mechanism of action of electronic cigarettes, the harm and consequences on the body. After the report, the lecturer of the department, an oncologist-mammologist, Esentaeva A.M., explained to the students about the harmfulness of electronic cigarettes from the point of view of carcinogenesis. The students liked the lecture very much, at the end of the report, the students shared their opinions, asked questions of interest, respectively, the lecturer answered each of them. At the end of the lecture, the teacher Galymbekov D.Zh., thanked all the students for their participation and activity during the conversation.[/vc_column_text]
