WHO / Blink Media - Francesca Volpi
Children participate in an anti-tobacco workshop called "Agent 00 Cigarettes, LILT Mission." The workshop is part of a campaign by LILT (Italian League For The Fight Against Cancer) to educate kids about the dangers of smoking.
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Tobacco

    Overview

    Nicotine contained in tobacco is highly addictive and tobacco use is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, over 20 different types or subtypes of cancer, and many other debilitating health conditions. Every year, more than 8 million people die from tobacco use. Most tobacco-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, which are often targets of intensive tobacco industry interference and marketing.

    Tobacco can also be deadly for non-smokers. Second-hand smoke exposure has also been implicated in adverse health outcomes, causing 1.2 million deaths annually. Nearly half of all children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke and 65 000 children die each year due to illnesses related to second-hand smoke. Smoking while pregnant can lead to several life-long health conditions for babies. 

    Heated tobacco products (HTPs) contain tobacco and expose users to toxic emissions, many of which cause cancer and are harmful to health. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes, do not contain tobacco and may or may not contain nicotine, but are harmful to health and undoubtedly unsafe. However, it is too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impact of HTPs and/or e-cigarette use. 

     

    Impact

    An estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide use tobacco products, 80% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs, such as food and shelter, to tobacco. This spending behaviour is difficult to curb because tobacco is so addictive. It also causes premature death and disability of productive age adults in households thus leading to reduced household income and increased healthcare costs.

    In addition to the detrimental impact of tobacco on health, the total economic cost of smoking (from health expenditures and productivity losses together) are estimated to be around US$ 1.4 trillion per year, equivalent in magnitude to 1.8% of the world's annual gross domestic product (GDP). Almost 40% of this cost occurred in developing countries, highlighting the substantial burden these countries suffer.

    Tobacco taxes are applied in part to combat this effect and are seen as the most cost-effective way of curbing tobacco use, particularly among youth and low-income populations. A tax increase that increases tobacco prices by 10% decreases tobacco consumption by about 4% in high-income countries and about 5% in low- and middle-income countries.

    WHO response

    The scale of this human and economic tragedy is shocking, but it’s also preventable. Big Tobacco — along with all manufacturers of tobacco products — is fighting to ensure the dangers of their products are concealed, but we are fighting back: In 2003, WHO Member States unanimously adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the only public health treaty under the auspices of WHO. In force since 2005, it has currently 181 Parties.

    To help countries implement the WHO FCTC, WHO introduced MPOWER, a package of technical measures and resources, each of which corresponds to at least one provision of the WHO FCTC. MPOWER builds the capacity of countries to implement 6 measures to reduce the demand for tobacco products: monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, protect people from tobacco use, offer help to quit tobacco use, warn about the dangers of tobacco, enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raise taxes on tobacco.

     

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    Documents

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    Information sheet. Manipulation and marketing strategies used by tobacco and nicotine industries to promote their products

    Tobacco, nicotine and related products are often manipulated to attract and retain users, including through deception, for commercial gain, at...

    Information Sheet. The role of flavours in increasing the appeal of tobacco, nicotine and related products

    Flavours in tobacco, nicotine and related products enhance attractiveness and appeal, especially to young people, contributing to experimentation,...

    Information sheet. Flavour accessories in tobacco products enhance attractiveness and appeal

    Flavours in tobacco, nicotine and related products enhance attractiveness and appeal, contributing to experimentation, initiation and sustained tobacco...

    Information sheet. Understanding the design features of tobacco, nicotine and related products and their possible effects

    Tobacco, nicotine and related products are carefully designed and engineered to attract new users, including children and young people, and to...

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    Country profiles

    Country profiles present selected data, statistics and information to provide national health profiles at given points in time.
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