The Tobacco Epidemic

• Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable death and disease
• Harmful effects include respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer
• Also linked to gum disease, vision problems, and reproductive issues
• Secondhand smoke poses risks to non-smokers
• Tobacco use can also impact mental health, leading to addiction and withdrawal symptoms
• Efforts to reduce tobacco use through public health campaigns and regulations are ongoing
• More work is needed to create a tobacco-free world and protect individuals from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing over 8 million people a year around the world. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.3 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

All forms of tobacco use are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks, and smokeless tobacco products.

Around 80% of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries (5), where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco. This spending behaviour is difficult to curb because tobacco is so addictive.