Live Better With: World No Tobacco Day 2018
When is World No Tobacco Day?
World No Tobacco Day takes place annually on May 31.
What is the reason for World No Tobacco Day?
World No Tobacco Day is an annual awareness day sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1987 to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and encourage governments to adopt effective policies to reduce smoking and other tobacco use.
What are the risks of tobacco?
According to WHO, tobacco use kills more than 7 million people around the world each year, and that number is predicted to grow unless anti-tobacco actions are increased. In the United States, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease. It causes many types of cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, lung disease, and other health problems.
What is the World No Tobacco Day 2018 theme?
The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is “Tobacco and heart disease.” The campaign aims to increase awareness on the link between tobacco and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and promote feasible actions and measures that governments and the public can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.
Cardiovascular disease kills more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12% of all heart disease deaths. Tobacco use is also the second leading cause of CVD, after high blood pressure. Despite the known harms of tobacco to heart health, and the availability of solutions to reduce related death and disease, knowledge among large sections of the public that tobacco is one of the leading causes of CVD is low.
WHO encourages governments worldwide to protect people from the harms of tobacco. Measures include:
- The creation of smoke-free public places, workplaces, and public transportation
- Help for people who choose to quit tobacco, such as toll-free quit helplines
- Implementation of plain packaging and/or prominent and graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging
- Launching effective anti-tobacco mass media campaigns that educate the public about the harms of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure
- Enforcement of comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship
- Increased taxes on tobacco products to make them less affordable