Despite having a solid foundation for combating tobacco, the market for nicotine-containing products is rapidly growing, and control measures are not always keeping pace with these changes.
As stated by Hans Kluge, the director of the WHO European Office: “Tobacco use in our region is already responsible for more than 1.1 million deaths from non-communicable diseases each year, and if we do not increase our efforts, by 2030 we will still have the highest rates in the world.”
“We must change this trend immediately: we need to protect youth from nicotine addiction and stop attempts by the tobacco industry to interfere in health policy,” he added.
Smoking among Teenage Girls
The WHO European Region is the only region in the world that is projected not to meet the global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco consumption among women by 2025. According to the latest data, the number of smoking women will decrease by only 12% from 2010 to 2025.The highest rates of smoking among girls aged 13-15 are recorded in this region.
Risks for Future Generations
Particular concern is raised by the increase in electronic cigarette consumption: the WHO European Region has the highest level of e-cigarette use among adolescents in the world at 14.3%, with rates among both boys and girls being almost equal.“This is not a coincidence, but rather the result of a targeted strategy by the tobacco industry aimed at attracting youth through flavor additives and active marketing on social media. Examples from countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands show that this trend can be countered by regulating new products, banning appealing additives, and limiting advertising,” Kluge noted.
Insufficiency of Existing Measures
Although many countries in the region have effective monitoring systems for tobacco products and require large graphic warnings on packaging, the implementation of other measures, according to WHO, is not as successful.Comprehensive smoke-free laws are in effect in only 18 out of 53 countries. National services offering assistance for quitting smoking are funded in only 12 countries. A comprehensive ban on advertising and promotion of tobacco products is in place in only 13 states. In 19 countries, cigarette prices today are lower than they were in 2014.
Regulation of electronic cigarettes and other new nicotine products remains fragmented, which reduces the overall effectiveness of tobacco control measures.
Photo on the main page is illustrative: cnn.com.
