World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity for the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), to inform and raise public awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of active and passive smoking.
Tobacco is the leading cause of premature and preventable death in the world. According to the WHO, tobacco is plus Out of 8 millions deaths each year. Plus of 7 millions of them are consumers or former consumers, and about 1,2 million of the non–smokers unintentionally exposed to smoke. In Luxembourg, approximately 1,000 dead per year are recorded as a result of tobacco-related illnesses, including 80 deaths are directly related to passive smoking.
Figures that have been growing steadily for 2 years, as evidenced by the annual study of smoking prevalence in Luxembourg by TNS/ILRES commissioned by the Cancer Foundation (1). Indeed, the results for the year 2021 reveal that the number of smokers in Luxembourg has increased considerably over the past three years, mainly among young people between the ages of 17 and 25.
A communication campaign targeted at young people:
TOBACCO, the most dangerous of social networks!
In view of this observation, the Ministry of Health, in the continuation of the work of the National Plan for the Fight against Tobacco (PNLT), is launching its new communication campaign in order to raise awareness and protect young generations from the dangers of tobacco. The axis of communication chosen aims to resonate with young people in order to preserve their health and avoid addiction using messages that use the codes of social networks.
“With this campaign, we want to reaffirm our desire to make the fight against smoking a priority. By targeting our young people, we want to protect them and help them grow into a generation of tobacco-free adults.,” explains Paulette Lenert, Minister of Health.
The consequences of smoking are dramatic on health and cause diseases such as the occurrence of certain cancers (cancer of the lung, upper aerodigestive tract, bladder, etc.) but also promotes certain cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. It also has significant impacts on pregnancy and quality of life.
Quitting smoking, a positive decision associated with many benefits almost immediately and at any age:
- After 48 hours of stopping, the body is better oxygenated and respiratory function improves;
- After 1 year of stopping, breathing has returned to normal and the risk of myocardial infarction is reduced by 50%;
- After 10 years of stopping, the risk of dying from lung cancer is halved compared to
- After 20 years, the risk has returned to that of a non-smoker.
In collaboration with the National Health Fund (CNS), the Ministry of Health encourages smokers to quit thanks to the Smoking cessation program. This program set up in 2008 offers support for smokers during their withdrawal from a health professional as well as partial reimbursement of drug treatments and substitute products that may be necessary.
A freephone line 6002 6767set up by the Department of Health, appears on all tobacco products and offers any smoker wishing to quit smoking the possibility of obtaining all the information necessary to quit tobacco permanently.
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