BASED on a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of tobacco has declined since 2000.
However, the reduction is insufficient to meet globally agreed targets aimed at protecting people from death and suffering from cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Recently, WHO joined with the World Heart Federation to highlight the link between tobacco and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) – the world’s leading causes of death, responsible for 44 percent of all NCD deaths, or 17.9 million deaths annually.
Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure are major causes of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and stroke, contributing to approximately 3 million deaths per year.
But evidence reveals a serious lack of knowledge of the multiple health risks associated with tobacco.
While many people are aware tobacco use increases the risk of cancer, there are alarming gaps in knowledge of the cardiovascular risks of tobacco use.
In China for example, over 60 percent of the population is unaware smoking can cause heart attacks, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.
In India and Indonesia, more than half of adults do not know smoking can cause stroke.
Based on WHO’s new Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking 2000-2025, tobacco kills over 7 million people each year, despite the steady reduction in tobacco use globally.
The report shows that worldwide, 27 percent smoked tobacco in 2000, compared to 20 percent in 2016.
But the pace of action in reducing tobacco demand and related death and disease is lagging behind global and national commitments to reduce tobacco use by 30 percent by 2025 among people aged 15 and older.
If the trend continues on the current trajectory, the world will only achieve a 22 percent reduction by 2025.
The report also showed that there are 1.1 billion adult smokers in the world today, and at least 367 million smokeless tobacco users.
The number of smokers in the world has barely changed during this century. It was also 1.1 billion in 2000.
This is due to population growth, even as prevalence rates decline.
For male smokers aged 15 and over, 43 percent smoked tobacco in 2000 compared to 34 percent in 2015.
For females, 11 percent smoked in 2000, compared to 6 percent in 2015.
On the other hand, over half of all WHO Member States have reduced demand for tobacco, and almost one in eight are likely to meet the 30 percent reduction target by 2025.
But countries must do more to monitor tobacco use in all its forms – not only tobacco smoking.
Currently, one in four countries has insufficient data to monitor their tobacco epidemic.
Like in developing countries, reports indicated that over 80 percent of tobacco smokers live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICS).
Prevalence of smoking is decreasing more slowly in LMICs than in high-income countries, and the number of smokers is on the increase in low-income countries.
Probably, the best chance of reducing tobacco use is through global unity and multi-sectoral drive against the tobacco industry. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
