Tobacco remains the most significant cause of premature death in the EU, responsible for almost 700,000 deaths every year.
The European Union and its Member States have adopted different tobacco control measures to ensure that all consumers are equally protected from smoking. But there is still a big amount of smokers among members states, that is why the EU health Programme has launched the “Tobacco Cessation Guideline for Risk Populations”, known as “TOB.G project”. Pregnant women, teenagers, patients with diabetes, or cardiovascular patients, as well as or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease belong to clearly distinct groups and require a tailored approach to tobacco dependence treatment.
Smoking causes a great deal of respiratory diseases which is a major source of nuisance and exacerbation for people with asthma, allergy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), leading to social, work exclusion and unnecessary illness. 4-10% of European adults have COPD, a preventable but progressive chronic disease that causes 300,000 deaths in Europe a year – the equivalent of 3 Hiroshima bombs
In developed countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that tobacco smoke is the primary cause of COPD, expecting to become the third leading cause worldwide by 2030. In fact, lifelong smokers have a 50% probability of developing COPD during their lifetime but the risk of developing COPD falls by an estimate of half by quitting cigarettes.
But health problems don’t only affects smokers, but also second-hand ones. Over a quarter of EU citizens are exposed to tobacco smoke at work. Second-hand smoke causes 600,000 yearly premature deaths worldwide and the loss of 10.9 million healthy life years due to the diseases it provokes to children and adults who do not smoke.
In brief, EFA as patients representative, supports this European project towards to, little by little; decrease the consumption of tobacco.
See the guidelines here