The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that World No Tobacco Day 2018 will focus on the important link between tobacco and heart disease.
Every year, on 31 May, WHO and its partners, including the World Heart Federation (WHF), mark World No Tobacco Day to highlight the health and other risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
Next year’s campaign aims to increase awareness on the link between tobacco and cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke, which is the world’s leading cause of death. The campaign will also promote feasible actions and measures that governments and the public can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.
Cardiovascular disease kills more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12% of all heart disease deaths. Tobacco use is the second leading cause of CVD, after high blood pressure.
Despite the known harms of tobacco to heart health, and the availability of solutions to reduce related death and disease, knowledge among large sections of the public that tobacco is one of the leading causes of CVD is low.
World No Tobacco Day 2018 aims to:
- Highlight the links between the use of tobacco products and heart and other cardiovascular diseases.
- Increase awareness within the broader public of the impact tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke have on cardiovascular health.
- Provide opportunities for the public, governments and others to make commitments to promote heart health by protecting people from use of tobacco products.
- Encourage countries to strengthen implementation of the proven MPOWER tobacco control measures contained in the WHO FCTC.
For more information on the link between tobacco and heart disease, click here to view our Tobacco Fact Sheet.
