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Four leading cardiovascular organisations have joined forces to urge governments to take immediate action to reduce tobacco use and implement comprehensive tobacco prevention strategies.
The American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, European Society of Cardiology and World Heart Federation released a joint opinion calling for governments to implement the World Health Organization’s MPOWER framework, which outlines six essential policy approaches proven to reduce tobacco use.
Tobacco use causes 12% of deaths worldwide
The approach includes monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, protecting people from tobacco smoke, offering help to quit tobacco use, warning about the dangers of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and raising taxes on tobacco.
Tobacco use continues to be a primary contributor to the global burden of disease, causing an estimated 12% of deaths worldwide among people aged 30 and over.
Despite global reductions in tobacco use, the growing popularity of electronic cigarettes and other newer tobacco products that appeal to youth with flavourings threatens progress toward ending tobacco use and nicotine addiction – “the tobacco endgame.”
Increasing evidence on the adverse effects of e-cigarettes
The joint opinion is being published simultaneously in the flagship journals of all four organisations: the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), the European Heart Journal (EHJ) and Global Heart.
Professor Stephan Achenbach, President of the European Society of Cardiology, said: “Today the ESC joins other leading professional organisations in cardiovascular healthcare to send a strong, global message calling for public health campaigns and legislation to fight tobacco and, in particular, to deter vaping.
“There is increasing evidence on the adverse effects of e-cigarettes. New measures are needed to stop marketing campaigns for e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco, especially those targeting young people.”