World No Tobacco Day-2024: Curbing youth tobacco addiction

With the intent of raising awareness about the harm, disease, and disability caused by tobacco product usage, “World No Tobacco Day” is observed every year on 31st May. Photo: Collected.

The air we breathe is one of the indispensable elements for our survival; however, the same element can potentially curtail the life expectancy of people in Bangladesh by up to seven years, owing to the high concentration of pollutants present in it. Tobacco smoke contributes significantly to poor air quality, with its air pollution output ten times greater than that of diesel vehicle exhaust. 

With the intent of raising awareness about the harm, disease, and disability caused by tobacco product usage, "World No Tobacco Day" is observed every year on 31st May.

Approximately eight million annual deaths are attributed to tobacco-related ailments, costing the global economy $1.4 trillion per year. Smoking is a leading cause of numerous fatal diseases, for instance, cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. 

Additionally, the risk of having rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, and some ocular illnesses is elevated significantly by tobacco smoking. 

Although knowledge about the dire consequences of smoking tobacco is ubiquitous, only a handful of people are aware that the harmful impacts of tobacco usage extend beyond direct smoking. According to an estimate by "The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)" secondhand or passive smoking causes roughly 41,000 deaths in nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in young children per year.

Furthermore, researchers from the "International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh" (icddr,b) recently discovered that smokeless tobacco, which is often considered a safer option than smoking cigarettes, carries many of the same hazards and has the potential to induce chronic kidney disease.

In a country like Bangladesh, where chewing dried tobacco leaves with betel nuts is still extremely common, the vulnerability to severe health hazards caused by such smokeless tobacco products is high. Furthermore, using a vape (e-cigarette) has also become quite popular among the youth of today, commonly being used as an alternative to traditional cigarettes, as a means of social bonding, out of curiosity, or for being perceived as cool in peer groups.

Influencing the younger population to become tobacco customers by aggressively advertising the latest products, such as e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, snus, and pouches, on various platforms remains one of the tobacco industry's routine sales-boosting tactics worldwide.

While last year's anti-tobacco campaigns on "World No Tobacco Day" advocated for reducing fertile land exploitation for growing tobacco and instead using them to produce food to tackle food scarcity and nutrition challenges, campaigns this year are prepared to focus on safeguarding the children from tobacco industry interference to observe the day.

Research suggests that utero and childhood/adolescence exposure to tobacco is correlated with a greater probability of lung cancer incidence and death later in life. With over 38 million children in the 13–15 age bracket being consumers of some form of tobacco, nine out of ten smokers begin before turning 18, and there is an escalating trend of young users in many nations.

The theme "World No Tobacco Day 2024" is a well-timed reminder to direct global attention and efforts to control youth tobacco consumption by planning and implementing necessary public health policies. Initiatives such as the imposition of higher taxes on tobacco products, restrictions on advertisements directed at youth, and discouraging the manipulation of digital platforms for tobacco promotion can shield youth from tobacco-related health hazards.

Rehnuma Nasim, a pharmacy graduate and public health researcher, is passionate about exploring various aspects of health services, from disease research to finding a cure.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.