Today is International No-Smoking Day
Every year, on the third Thursday of November, most countries around the world celebrate International No-Smoking Day. It was established by the American Cancer Society in 1977.
According to the WHO: 90% of lung cancer deaths, 75% of chronic bronchitis deaths, and 25% of ischemic heart disease deaths worldwide are caused by smoking;
every ten seconds, one heavy smoker dies on the planet (by 2020, this rate may increase to one person every three seconds);
in Russia, at least one in ten women smoke, and among high school and college students, 53% of young men and 28% of young women smoke;
today, 50-60% of Russian men can be called heavy smokers (among some categories of citizens, this figure reaches 95%).
smoking and the diseases it causes result in the death of at least one million citizens of our country every year. The goal of International No-Smoking Day is to promote the reduction of tobacco addiction, involve all segments of the population and doctors of all specialties in the fight against smoking, prevent tobacco use, and inform the public about the harmful effects of tobacco on health.
According to a survey conducted by the Department of Health among city residents, 27% of respondents smoke cigarettes, 6% were smokers in the past, and the average age at which they started smoking is 16 years. The average smoker smokes about 9 cigarettes a day, 63 cigarettes a week, and 252 cigarettes a month. On average, respondents spend about 14 rubles a day, 98 rubles a week, and 392 rubles a month on smoking.
47% of the surveyed city residents consider smoking a bad habit, 38% consider it an addiction, 9% consider it an incurable disease, and 6% of respondents could not determine their attitude towards smoking.
When asked about the consequences of tobacco use, 22% of respondents could not answer. The result of tobacco use is considered to be lung cancer by 35% of the surveyed population, bronchitis and other lung diseases by 25% of respondents, cardiovascular diseases by 12%, and tuberculosis by 6%.
According to 12% of respondents, it is easy to quit smoking, 56% believe that it is difficult, 4% believe that it is impossible, and 28% have not thought about it. At the same time, 21% of the surveyed city residents have tried to quit smoking, but mostly unsuccessfully.
30% of respondents are aware of the existence of centers that help people quit smoking, and 70% are not.
It should be noted that, despite good awareness of the harm of tobacco use to health, not many city residents are eager to get rid of nicotine addiction. Either the person does not realize the full severity of the consequences of tobacco use for their health, or they believe that the disease will not affect them, or the habit of smoking is so strong that it is impossible to give it up.
