World No Tobacco Day: Focuses On Heart Diseases Caused By Tobacco Use

World No Tobacco Day 2018 is aimed at highlighting various health hazards associated with tobacco use. Every year, May 31 is observed as World No Tobacco Day. The day is meant to advocate effective policies which can help in reducing tobacco consumption among the masses. This year, the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is "Tobacco and heart disease." This theme focuses on linking tobacco with heart and other cardiovascular diseases like stroke. The aim is to take appropriate actions and measures so that the authorities and even the common public can make a combined effort in reducing health risks posed by tobacco. On this day, initiatives are taken globally to address the epidemic of tobacco and its impact on public health in causing suffering and death. As part of the day, the 3rd high-level meeting of United Nations General Assembly on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases will be held for the year 2018. Awareness about harmful effects of tobacco has been spread quite widely. However, the knowledge about tobacco and it being the leading cause of cardiovascular disease continues to be low. Nevertheless, smoking is one of the most important driving factors for heart disease. Tobacco use kills over 7 million people every year in the world and most of the patients succumb to heart disease. 

Also read: World No Tobacco Day: Tobacco Consumption Can Increase Your Risk Of These Diseases

Also read: World No Tobacco Day 2018: Passive Smoking And How It Is Harming you

Tobacco use and heart health

World No Tobacco Day 2018 will focus on the impact of tobacco on cardiovascular health of people. Use of tobacco is considered to be an important risk factor when it comes to developing coronary heart diseases, peripheral vascular disease and stroke.
 

Also read: World No Tobacco Day: Tobacco Consumption Can Increase Your Risk Of These Diseases

Facts about tobacco use and its health hazards

Cardiovascular diseases, tobacco use and secondhand smoke or passive smoking is known to cause around 12%. Some of the top risk factors of tobacco use are cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Around 7 million people die every year globally. Of these, 9 lakh people are non-smokers who are dying because of passive smoking. 80% of 1 billion smokers in the world live in low or middle-income countries. The burden of tobacco related illness and deaths are highest in these areas.
 

Also read: For All The Smokers Out There, Here’s What Tobacco Can Do To You

Some guidelines of World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) include monitoring use of tobacco and policies for prevention, protecting people from exposure to tobacco and creating completely smoke-free public spaces, workplaces and public transport. The guidelines also include offering help to people who want to quit tobacco by advising them on ways to quit and informing them about the health hazards of tobacco use. The guidelines state that there needs to be comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco. Raising taxes on tobacco products and making them less affordable can be an effective measure to reduce tobacco use.

Governments from different countries in the worldwide can adopt these guidelines in order to reduce burden of tobacco use and diseases caused by it on the health system.  

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