Donini: “To fight against smoking, insist on prevention, starting with the youngest”
In the region, cigarette addiction affects a quarter of adults aged 18-69. The consumption of electronic cigarettes and nicotine derivatives is on the rise. Among adolescents, for the first time the statistics record the overtaking of females on their male peers. The initiatives put in place by the local health authorities together with the associations
May 30, 2023 – In Emilia-Romagna cigarette smokers are decreasing and users of electronic cigarettes and nicotine-derived products are increasing. It consolidates between younger generations the tendency to start early smoking, especially e-cigarettes. Among adolescents, the overtaking of females on male peers.
It is the photograph taken from the most recent investigations on the subject, on the occasion of the “World no tobacco day” which will be celebrated all over the world tomorrow, Wednesday 31 maggio.
Just to keep the attention on the serious health risks that the habit of smoking entails, throughout Emilia-Romagna il regional health servicetogether with many associations, is engaged in the area with communication and awareness initiatives (see Attachment).
“The fight against smoking – remarks the regional councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini – due to the high incidence of serious diseases caused by smoking, it is one of the priorities of the Regional Health Service. This is also attested by the many initiatives organized in the area by health agencies and hospitals on the occasion of ‘World No Tobacco Day’. Fundamental is the awareness and prevention activity, especially towards young people and very young people, who are most exposed to risk. Equally important is the updating and training of health professionals involved in these issues in schools and workplaces, as well as the strengthening of the services offered to those, and fortunately there are many, who try to quit smoking”.
Smoking in Emilia-Romagna: declining numbers
L’STEPS investigation (Progress of Health Trusts in Italy), coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, since 2006 carries out regular statistical surveys among the Italian adult population (18-69 years) on lifestyles and health risk factors. The data referring to two-year period 2021-2022 point out that in Emilia-Romagna regularly smokes a quarter (24%) of adultsfor a total of over 710,000 people. A percentage in line with the national average and in slight but constant decrease over the most recent years, with the only exception of 2020.
In fact, in the year marked by the outbreak of the pandemic, there was a clear reversal of the decline in the percentage of smokers, such as further negative impact due to Covid. However, from 2021 onwards the share of smokers started to fall again, returning to pre-pandemic values.
Going into more detail, 20% of Emilia-Romagna people in the 18-69 age group smoke exclusively traditional cigarettes4% combine other devices with traditional cigarettes and 3% have converted to new products recently introduced on the market such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
As regards the characteristics and socio-economic profile of smokers, in Emilia-Romagna the highest percentage of smokers is recorded among people aged 18-24 (31%)to drop to 21% in the 50-69 range, and among men compared to women (26% against 22%).
Furthermore, the greater habit of smoking found is confirmed with respect to the previous surveys among people with low educational attainment (29%) and that they are in conditions of economic hardship (41%).
The negative effects on health
As for the negative impact of smoking on health, the PASSI survey also shows that in Emilia-Romagna in the four-year period 2019-2022 it was 26% of adult smokers suffer from at least one chronic disease. In particular, 33% of people suffering from chronic respiratory disease and 26% of those with cerebrovascular or liver disease smoke.
Among the most worrying aspects highlighted by the most recent surveys, there is the tendency to progressive advance of the age in which the very young approach smoking. In particular from the results of the international multicenter study HBSC 2022 (Health Behavior in School-aged Children) on the behaviors of Emilia-Romagna youngsters of school age, it emerges that 1% of eleven-year-olds smoke, 6% of thirteen-year-olds, and 24% of fifteen-year-olds. Adolescents, therefore, increasingly precocious in “copying” the bad habits of adults, even if it should be emphasized that the vast majority of boys and girls do not smoke.
A trend, it progressive lowering of the age at which smoking startswhich is also confirmed by the data from the 2022 GYTS (Global Youth Tobacco Survey) which involved almost 2,800 male and female students aged 13-15 in Emilia-Romagna.
Smoking is more prevalent among girls than among boys
The GYTS study reveals that 17% of adolescents in that age group have smoked at least one cigarette or used other tobacco or nicotine-containing products in the past 30 days. And it emerged for the first time that this percentage is higher among girls (21%) than among boys (12%).
Even considering the various ways of smoking – traditional cigarettes, heated tobacco, e-cigarettes – the consumption of these products is more frequent in 13-15 year old adolescents than in male peers.
Returning to the PASSI survey, the 42% of smokers said they have tried to quit in the past 12 months, but only 6% have succeeded.
Finally, it should be underlined the importance of the role of health professionals, doctors and nursing staff, in the work of persuading people to quit addiction to cigarettes, whether traditional or electronic. In fact, almost half of smokers declare that they have received a recommendation to stop smoking from a health professional.
The commitment of the Region against smoking addiction (122.75 KB)
The initiatives put in place by the regional health service on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day (
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