{"id":2299,"date":"2016-01-21T12:33:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-21T12:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world-heart-federation.org\/news\/time-to-take-tobacco-dependence-treatment-seriously\/"},"modified":"2021-04-30T19:08:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T18:08:27","slug":"time-to-take-tobacco-dependence-treatment-seriously","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/world-heart-federation.org\/news\/time-to-take-tobacco-dependence-treatment-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to take tobacco dependence treatment seriously"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Article authors Professors Martin Raw, Judith Mackay and Srinath Reddy (past World Heart Federation President), note that relatively simple, effective cessation interventions now exist which could be put in place quickly and affordably. These include:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 All countries establishing an official national treatment strategy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Recording tobacco use in all patient records<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Training healthcare workers to routinely give brief advice to stop<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Low cost treatments like automated text messaging and affordable medications<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Professor Raw, Director of the International Centre for Tobacco Cessation:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cHelping people to stop sooner, rather than later, will save lives. Measures such as tax increases, restrictions on smoking in public places and media campaigns create demand for cessation support. I believe that we then have an obligation to offer treatment to those who need it \u2013 especially as treatment works.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Six years ago the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) parties adopted guidelines calling for cessation treatment to be integrated into tobacco control – since then only 13% of countries have developed comprehensive treatment services (WHO MPOWER).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Healthcare systems and healthcare professionals have a central role to play in helping their patients to stop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2022 Tobacco addiction disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, which have fewer resources with which to fight back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
WHO\u2019s official smoking statistics and MPOWER report can be accessed on the WHO\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n