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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the US. Different communities are disproportionally affected by cigarette smoking and tobacco use. Data for this graph was taken from the webpage Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This graph illustrates the current smoking rates among different population groups. Adults with lower levels of education smoke at higher rates than the general population. People living in poverty smoke cigarettes more heavily compared to people with a family income three times higher. Tobacco companies often target advertising campaigns towards low-income communities and a higher density of tobacco retailers can often be found in low-income neighborhoods. Research shows that gaining insurance coverage increases the odds of quitting smoking due to more primary care visits (American Lung Association, 2024). Cigarette smoking is considered a very important problem for several significant reasons besides being a leading cause of preventable diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking-related illnesses result in substantial economic costs to healthcare systems and society as a whole. Exposure to secondhand smoke also poses health risks, especially for non-smokers who are exposed to tobacco smoke in indoor or enclosed environments. Cigarette production, packaging, and disposal contribute to environmental pollution, including deforestation, water pollution, and littering. The initiation of smoking among youth is a significant concern as it can lead to lifelong addiction and increased health risks over time.

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Last week’s discussion the focus was on deaths with tuberculosis. This week, I focused on the total cases of TB by site over three years. When looking at the graph, you see that specific sites were more affected by TB than others. The areas most affected were lymphatic, pleural, and other areas. 
Then turning the focus to cases reported by state, these four states reported half of the cases of TB. Why are these four states reporting the majority of the TB cases is it maybe due to being high-traveling areas or are they large states compared to smaller states with less population? 

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Obesity is a chronic complex disease defined by excessive fat deposits that can impair health. Obesity can lead to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it can affect bone health and reproduction, it increases the risk of certain cancers. Obesity influences the quality of living, such as sleeping or moving (WHO.int). As stated in last weeks discussion post, The graph above depicts the prevalence of Obesity in Men & Women across Non-hispanic and Hispanic races. The Y-axis is of the different races divided by men and women. The X-axis is the percentage of adults for 10,636 adults (5413 – women & 5223 – Men). As seen above Non-Hispanic Asians had the least prevalence, while Non-hispanic Black Women were at the highest risk. Studies have suggested that obesity prevalence varies by income or education, although patterns might differ in high and low income countries (CDC.org).

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As you can see, a line graph is used with the x values being the rate per 100,00, and the y values were the age groups. This particular graph is suitable for the data presented instead of scatterplots, which will not provide a trend or accurate description. CDC used a histogram to depict the frequency distribution of variables, while a line graph uses a line to connect individual data points. I included the actual data of the number of new female breast cancer to provide further understanding of the differences between each age group. According to the graph, the age group most affected is 70-79. In addition, the rates doubled at 40-44 years of age. Thus, the implementation of yearly mammograms starting at the age of 40 years old is crucial in detecting early breast cancer.