World No Tobacco Day [Archives:2006/951/Last Page]
June 1 2006
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In 1987, the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the 40th anniversary of the WHO, April 7, 1988, as World No-Tobacco Day. The objective was to encourage all tobacco users throughout the world to quit for at least 24 hours, recognizing the tremendous harm tobacco use causes to the health of people throughout the world. World No-Tobacco Day is now held annually on May 31.
Approximately 1.1 billion people around the world smoke. Of these 1.1 billion smokers, around 3.5 million die every year as a result of tobacco-related illnesses. This is equal to the entire population of Alberta, or 10,000 deaths per day. It is predicted that tobacco will be the leading cause of death and disability in the world by the year 2020.
A World Bank study, “The Economic Costs and Benefits of Investing in Tobacco,” estimated that the health care costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses result in a global net loss of US $200 billion per year, half of this occurring in developing countries.
The same World Bank study indicates that tobacco-use prevention programs rank among the most cost-effective of all health interventions.
Why is tobacco a public health priority?
Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today -that is about 650 million people- will eventually be killed by tobacco.
Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide. The economic costs of tobacco use are equally devastating. In addition to the high public health costs of treating tobacco-caused diseases, tobacco kills people at the height of their productivity, depriving families of breadwinners and nations of a healthy workforce. Tobacco users are also less productive while they are alive due to increased sickness. A 1994 report estimated that the use of tobacco resulted in an annual global net loss of US$ 200 thousand million, a third of this loss being in developing countries.
Tobacco and poverty are inextricably linked. Many studies have shown that in the poorest households in some low-income countries as much as 10% of total household expenditure is on tobacco. This means that these families have less money to spend on basic items such as food, education and health care. In addition to its direct health effects, tobacco leads to malnutrition, increased health care costs and premature death. It also contributes to a higher illiteracy rate, since money that could have been used for education is spent on tobacco instead. Tobacco's role in exacerbating poverty has been largely ignored by researchers in both fields.
Experience has shown that there are many cost-effective tobacco control measures that can be used in different settings and that can have a significant impact on tobacco consumption. The most cost-effective strategies are population-wide public policies, like bans on direct and indirect tobacco advertising, tobacco tax and price increases, smoke-free environments in all public and workplaces, and large clear graphic health messages on tobacco packaging. All these measures are discussed on the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Last February, Countries around the world are taking effective measures to curb tobacco use, including strong legislation, graphic warning labels and advertising bans. These positive changes reinforce the commitment made by the more than 110 countries meeting this week to decide on the detailed implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
Many of the countries joining this first Conference of the Parties (COP) in Geneva have already implemented some of the measures in the convention. Ireland, Norway and Spain, for example, have recently banned smoking in indoor public places. India has comprehensive tobacco advertising bans. Brazil, Canada, Thailand and Singapore print graphic warnings on cigarette packages. These are just some of the examples of efforts which will contribute to a major reduction in tobacco deaths.
“This group has already changed history,” said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “The convention is something that we all committed to. Its provisions are bold. They are based on knowledge of what is effective. We will make it work.”
Dr Lee made his comments to the first Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting this week in Geneva. The COP is the governing body of the Treaty. It serves as the authority to oversee, monitor and evaluate progress of the Treaty, in order to reduce tobacco consumption and tobacco-related deaths globally.
Concrete measures included in the Treaty could help save 200 million lives by the year 2050, if a progressive 50% reduction in uptake and consumption rates is achieved. Many measures in the WHO FCTC have deadlines and clear guidelines. For example, from the Treaty's entry into force, countries have three years to enforce health warnings on tobacco products, and five years to implement comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Other measures, such as those regarding illicit trade or cross-border advertising, have not yet been detailed in the Treaty. The COP could decide to develop protocols and specific guidelines and requirements for countries to implement these measures.
The COP will likely also consider other measures to ensure the effective implementation of the rest of the treaty provisions. These might include financial support for developing countries, or mechanisms to ensure that countries do not fall behind in their implementation progress.
In February 2007, the first Contracting Parties will submit to the COP initial reports on their progress, specifying what actions they have taken to implement the tobacco control measures established in the Treaty. “This is a crucial time for people suffering the consequences of tobacco use,” said Dr Yumiko Mochizuki-Kobayashi, Director of the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. “Tobacco is still the top preventable cause of death. The goal is to see it fall from that position in our lifetime.With continued commitment from Member States, we will achieve that goal.”
Sources: WHO – Free Tobacco Initiative
And World No Tobacco Day
Facts about tobacco
– Every year, tobacco kills 3.5 million people around the world. In other words, about 10,000 people around the world die from tobacco every day.
– One million of these deaths currently occur in developing countries
Although there are significant gender differences, women are unfortunately catching up
– Globally, nearly 47% of men and 12% of women smoke
– In developing countries, 48% of men and 7% of women smoke
– In developed countries, 42% of men smoke, as do 24% of women
Children are susceptible
– The global tobacco epidemic is predicted to prematurely claim the lives of some 250 million children and adolescents, a third of whom are in developing countries
The impact is long-term
– China predicts that of the 300 million males now aged 0-29, about 200 million will become smokers.
– Of these 200 million smokers, about 100 million will eventually die from tobacco-related diseases and half of these deaths will occur in middle-age and before age 70.
– It is predicted that by the year 2020, tobacco will become the leading cause of death and disability, killing more than 10 million people annually, thus causing more deaths than HIV, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and homicide combined.
Financial toll
– A World Bank study, \”The Economic Costs and Benefits of Investing in Tobacco
