A new WHO study on Montenegro has revealed that increased taxes applied to tobacco products and sugary drinks would have a significant positive impact in terms of avoiding premature mortality and new cases of disease over the next 20 years. If introduced as recommended by WHO, the taxes would also raise revenue and result in […]
Taxes on tobacco and sugary drinks can save lives Read More »
Measures that EU countries and economic operators need to enact to put in place the EU-wide tracking and tracing system planned for under the Tobacco Products Directive (articles 15 and 16) have been clarified in secondary legislation adopted by the Commission today. Welcoming the adoption of the legal acts, Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis reminded that
Rules for Tobacco tracking Read More »
In a public statement made at the Turkish Grand National Assembly Commission on Planning and Budget, Minister of Finance Naci Ağbal stated that plans to allow the importation and production of heat-not-burn tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems in Turkey were withdrawn. He confirmed that these products would not be sold or produced in
Turkey and e-cigarettes Read More »
Unhealthy diet is the biggest risk factor for disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs) in the EU, principally through diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, with tobacco and alcohol also contributing significantly to the growing burden of chronic diseases on health services. Of course, this is far from coincidental. The private sector has a number of
The links between Commercial Determinants of Health and Chronic Diseases Read More »
Towards tobacco-free generations: stopping second-hand smoke and smoking initiation among children Several Member States in the WHO European Region are moving towards becoming “tobacco-free”, which means having a smoking prevalence of 5{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} or less. To achieve this, countries must address a number of tobacco-related issues that specifically impact children, and work to protect children from
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The World Health Organization (WHO), finds that more countries have implemented tobacco control policies, ranging from graphic pack warnings and advertising bans to no smoking areas. About 4.7 billion people – 63{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} of the world’s population – are covered by at least one comprehensive tobacco control measure, which has quadrupled since 2007 when only 1 billion
WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic Read More »
A recent survey shows no decrease in the overall smoking rate in the EU since 2014, with more than one in four Europeans still smoking. Amongst people aged 15 to 24 the rate has increased from 25{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} in 2014 to 29{ddf8d179d1bf712bb2a88ff2ad95ebdf63eaa5463c845d2f093b25848387ba96} in 2017. Significant differences exist between EU countries, with the highest smoking rates in
The tobacco industry has become more focused, aggressive and sophisticated in its efforts to block tobacco control measures. However, no single source has yet provided the resources to understand how governments and the public health community can respond to the arguments of tobacco industry players. In light of this, WHO/Europe has developed the Tobacco Control
Tobacco Control Playbook counters aggressive tobacco industry tactics Read More »
The WHO has produced an action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in the European Region, focusing on priority action areas and interventions for the next decade in order to reduce premature mortality, reduce the disease burden, improve the quality of life and make healthy life expectancy more equitable. The priority interventions,
Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases Read More »
The European Commission’s 3-year initiative ‘Ex-smokers are unstoppable’ has now finished but it proved enormously successful with one in three of the 480,000 registered users stopping smoking after three months. The centre-piece of the programme was the iCoach, a digital health coach which was free and available both online and as a mobile app for
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