World No Tobacco Day is on 31 May 2020. The theme this year ‘Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use’.
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Tobacco smoking is a known risk factor for many respiratory infections and increases the severity of respiratory diseases. A review of studies by public health experts convened by WHO on 29 April 2020 found that smokers are more likely to develop severe disease with COVID-19, compared to non-smokers.
COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs. Smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other diseases. Tobacco is also a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes which put people with these conditions at higher risk for developing severe illness when affected by COVID-19. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death.
Around 80% of the 1.3 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.
All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks.
WHO’s Key message as we mark World No Tobacco Day 2020 are;
• To create a generation that is free from tobacco and second-hand smoke and the death and disease that they cause.
• Break free from the tobacco and related industries’ manipulation by becoming educated on their tactics and the harm caused by their products.
• Tobacco use is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths globally. Use of nicotine and tobacco products increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.
• Over 1 million people die from second-hand smoke exposure every year.
• Children and adolescents who use e-cigarettes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life. Tobacco and related industries’ tactics to market to children and adolescents include:
o Over 15,000 flavours, most of which attract children and adolescents
o Social media influencers and marketing
o Sponsored events and parties
o School scholarships
o Sleek, sexy designs
o Product placement in entertainment media
o Free product samples
o Single stick cigarettes make addiction more affordable
o Selling products at eye level for children
o Product placement and advertising near schools
• E-cigarette use increases your risk of heart disease and lung disorders.
• Nicotine in e-cigarettes is a highly addictive drug and can damage children’s developing brains.
• Smoking shisha is just as harmful as other forms of tobacco use.
• Smokeless doesn’t mean that it’s harmless.
• Smoking is expensive, and you pay for it with your looks and your health. It causes bad breath, yellow teeth, wrinkly skin, unhealthy lungs and a poor immune system.
• Shisha smoke is toxic. It contains substances that cause cancer.
• Chewing tobacco can cause mouth cancer, tooth loss, brown teeth, white patches and gum disease.
• We encourage everyone to become educated, spread awareness and create a tobacco-free generation.
• Tobacco companies bombard children and adolescents with social media messages that were viewed over 25 billion times. That kind of social media reach is to die for.
