Smoking is one of the biggest threats to public health: Tobacco consumption kills more than 8 million people a year, of which more than 7 million are direct consumers and about 1.2 million are non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. These numbers show it Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of death in the world.
Smoking is harmful in all its forms and there is no safe exposure to tobacco. Smoking cigarettes is the most widespread way to consume tobacco worldwide, but there are other ways too: water or water pipes, cigars, cigars or chopped tobacco.
In addition, about 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries., such as Argentina, which are the ones carrying the greatest burden of disease associated with this product. Tobacco use affects both the smoker and those around him.
Smoking causes great harm to the body and is a risk factor that increases the chances of suffering from heart, respiratory and brain diseases.. In addition, third-hand smoke can cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in adults.but in infants it can cause sudden death and in pregnant women, it affects the weight of children at birth.
The WHO warns that even smoking a few cigarettes a day, smoking occasionally or being exposed to tobacco smoke in the environment increases the risk of heart disease. However, it is also known that taking immediate action to quit smoking reduces this risk by 50% after one year.
In Argentina, the prevalence of cigarette use has been declining steadily since 2005. Although these figures are encouraging, one in 5 adults in the country still smokes and one in 5 employees still smoke tobacco in their workplace and almost half of the population saw tobacco advertising in cigarette sales outlets, according to the 4th national survey. on risk factors of the Ministry of Health.
It is estimated that 50% of smokers have recently tried to quit smoking. Without support for quitting addiction, only 4% of experiments work. Professional accompaniment can more than double the chances of success in quitting tobacco, as explained Cristina Borrajo (MN 60747), pulmonologist and supervisor of the smoking ward of the Argentine Respiratory Association (AAMR).
Since 1978, every May 31st world tobacco-free daythis year, in the context of the environmental crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the worldwide organization against tobacco seek to inform the environmental impact of tobacco, from its cultivation and production to its distribution, without forgetting the waste it generates.
Smoking is a risk factor that can be changed and prevented, and in recent years the implementation of tobacco control policies has spread around the world. Residents who are becoming aware of the harm caused by tobacco and which are protected by some five main principles of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control:
1 – A total ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including the display of products
2 – Availability of cost-effective treatment methods to quit smoking
3 – Health warnings with a logo on the packaging of tobacco products
4 – Enclosed environment 100% free of tobacco smoke
5 – Tax increase to create more expensive and cheaper products
In Argentina, despite declining consumer trends among both young people and adults, the prevalence and mortality rates are still high compared to other countries in the region and public policy has progressed very slowly.
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