https://healthpolicy-watch.news/europe-is-failing-to-curb-tobacco-use-es...
Extracts:
“European girls aged 13 to 15 now have the highest tobacco use rates among their age group anywhere in the world” Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe
“That is not an accident, it’s the result of deliberate industry strategy targeting young people with flavoured products and sophisticated social media marketing.
“The 62 million female smokers in the European Region represent over 40% of the 143 million female smokers in the world,” according to the WHO, which released 10 new factsheets on tobacco consumption this week.
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/m/item/who-framework-convention-...
COMMENT (NPW): I did a quick google search on knowledge about the health risks of smoking in the general public and found remarkably little. This 2019 European paper indicates: 'While the majority of smokers knew that smoking increases the risk for heart diseases, lung and throat cancer, there was lower awareness that tobacco use caused mouth cancer, pulmonary diseases, stroke, and there were very low levels of knowledge that it was also associated with impotence and blindness.'
Knowledge of the health risks of smoking and impact of cigarette warning labels among tobacco users in six European countries: Findings from the EUREST-PLUS ITC Europe Surveys
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6661855/
Detail: 'With the exception of Hungary, more than 80% of the smokers in each country knew that active smoking causes heart diseases, lung cancer, and throat cancer. More than two-thirds of smokers from all countries were aware of the risk of active smoking for pulmonary diseases (emphysema, bronchitis) and mouth cancer. In Spain and Hungary less than 60% of the smokers were aware of the risk of active smoking for stroke.'
Knowledge about health risks is necessary but not sufficient to inform health behaviour with regards to smoking. However, I find it an indictment of the international health community that 10-20% of people in Europe do not know that smoking carries a risk of lung cancer and heart disease. And very few are aware of links such as cataract and impotence. The fact that the vast majority of people start smoking without full knowledge of health risks is unacceptable.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org