World No Tobacco Day 2021

Academic Article Contribution Posted On: May 31, 2021

The annual World No Tobacco Day campaign is an opportunity for the Fiji National University (FNU) to raise awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use.  As the national institution, FNU is proud to have one of the first smoke-free campuses in the country and this shows our commitment to the health and wellbeing of all our students, staff, and visitors.

Tobacco causes 8 million deaths every year from cardiovascular diseases, lung disorders, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, and many other debilitating diseases. Of the 1.3 billion tobacco users globally, 60 per cent have expressed the desire to quit – but only 30 per cent have access to the tools to help them to do so successfully.

Current evidence suggests that smoking is associated with severe progression of COVID-19 (diseases and deaths among hospitalised patients), which triggered more smokers to want to quit tobacco. However, quitting can be challenging, especially with the added social and economic stress that has come as a result of the pandemic. Tobacco cessation services have faced several challenges during the pandemic due to lockdown, the burden on the health systems, etc. It is important to note that strong cessation services increase the chance of successfully quitting tobacco, and save lives, improve health, and save money.

In Fiji, more men (25-64 yrs) are reported as current smokers (includes both daily and non-daily smokers) than women (47.0% vs 14.3%) (2011 STEPS). To encourage tobacco cessation, the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MOHMS) has continuously implemented a media campaign about the dangers of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting.

With support from WHO, the Fiji MOHMS has partnered with the Hope Clinic in Suva to expand the training of health care professionals in Fiji as well as to develop protocols and materials to support tobacco cessation services. Currently, tobacco cessation support is available at HOPE Clinic in Suva at no cost. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, training and services will be remote. Individuals seeking cessation support can contact the numbers provided: +679 9212 846/+679 7330 094.

Once you quit1, the following health changes take place:

  1. Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop;
  2. within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal;
  3. within two-12 weeks, your circulation improves and your lung function increases;
  4. within one-nine months, coughing and shortness of breath decreases;
  5. in one year, your risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker’s;
  6. in five years, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker five to 15 years after quitting;
  7. in 10 years, your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker and your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease and
  8. in 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.

Compared to those who continued to smoke, people of all ages who have already developed smoking-related health problems still benefit from quitting:

  1. At about 30: gain almost 10 years of life expectancy;
  2. At about 40: gain 9 years of life expectancy;
  3. At about 50: gain 6 years of life expectancy;
  4. At about 60: gain 3 years of life expectancy;
  5. After the onset of life-threatening disease: rapid benefit, people who quit smoking after having a heart attack reduce their chances of having another heart attack by 50%;)

Those seeking more information can contact Dr Gade Waqa, the Head of C-POND, a WHO (World Health Organization) Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention and Management at the Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research (FIPHR), the research arm of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences (CMNHS), or Associate Professor Dr Donald Wilson, the CMNHS Associate Dean Research and Director of FIPHR.

Dr William May
Dean
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Fiji National University

 

1 WHO. Tobacco: Health benefits of smoking cessation. 25 Feb 2020. Accessible at https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/tobacco-health-benefits-of-smoking-cessation

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