World No Tobacco Day 300 dead daily

In Germany smoking is the most common preventable cause of death

05/31/2012

Every day more than 300 people in Germany die as a result of smoking. As reported by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) in a press release on the occasion of today's World No Tobacco Day, smoking is the most common preventable cause of death in Germany.

Despite extensive efforts to curb tobacco consumption, smokes according to the BZgA „in Germany still almost every third adult over 18 years.“ The smoking rate is particularly high among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years. „Grab in this age group“, According to the BZgA, „38 percent of women and 43 percent of men regularly take a cigarette.“ However, for today's World No Tobacco Day, the experts also had a good message: „Smoking is simply out of the reach of young people“, emphasized the director of the BZgA, Prof. Dr. med. Elisabeth Pott.

Actions for World No Tobacco Day
All over Germany, on today's World No Tobacco Day, numerous actions take place to raise awareness of the health risks of smoking and to inform about weaning possibilities. The activities are coordinated in this country by the German Cancer Aid. and the Non-Smoking Action Alliance. In addition, the health insurance funds and health authorities use World No Tobacco Day to report on current findings and developments in relation to smoking. The BZgA has published a press release on today's World No Tobacco Day, the number of fatalities and at the same time pointed to the pleasing development in the tobacco consumption of young people. Even today in Germany per day „More than 300 people are affected by their tobacco consumption“ and smoking is still in this country „the most common preventable cause of death“, BZgA director Prof. dr. Pott. According to the BZgA, thirty percent of adults regularly resort to smuggling.

Encouraging development in the tobacco consumption of adolescents
In the case of young people, however, the development looks much happier, according to a representative study on drug affinity of adolescents published by the BZgA. The number of smokers among the „Young people in Germany have been falling continuously for ten years“, reports the BZgA. Whereas in 2001, 28 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds continued to use their cigarettes on a regular basis, in 2011 there were only 12 percent. Whole 71 percent of the under-18s have never smoked in their lives, according to the figures of the BZgA. The nonsmoker protection laws are also highly accepted by young people. 89 percent of them were for the smoking ban in discos and pubs and even among the young „Smokers advocate this for every second“, reports the BZgA. The young people are also increasingly aware of the risks of smoking. „Many young people are aware of the health hazards and the addictive potential of smoking and therefore reject cigarettes“, emphasized Elisabeth Pott. Indeed „We need to continue our prevention efforts so that these positive developments will have a long-term impact on adult tobacco use“, the BZgA director continued.

Helps to stop smoking
In the current „Message to the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2012“ the BZgA also reports on exit aids that can help quit smoking. Here, for example, stand the website „www.rauchfrei-info.de“ with a wealth of information and a self-test on tobacco addiction as well as personal motivation to stop smoking and a free online exit program. Also offer the BZgA a telephone consultation, a start package for non-smokers and the group course „Smoke free program“ to overcome the addiction and prevent health consequences such as the annoying smoker's cough. (Fp)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm