European Girls Aged 13-15 Have World’s Highest Rate Of Tobacco Use For Age Group

Teenage girls successful Europe person nan highest complaint of baccy usage successful their property group astir nan world, while 1 successful 7 adolescents crossed nan continent usage vapes and e-cigarettes, figures show.

The data, based connected study by nan World Health Organization (WHO), shows that Europe is connected people to support its position arsenic nan world’s biggest user of baccy up to 2030, and reveals “particularly concerning” trends of baccy usage among women and young people.

Four successful 10 big female smokers astir nan world – astir 62 cardinal women – unrecorded successful Europe, while 4 cardinal teenagers aged 13 to 15 crossed nan continent usage baccy products.

For vapes and e-cigarettes, Europe has nan highest prevalence of teenage regular users, astatine 14.3% of children aged betwixt 13 and 15. Among adults, Europe has nan second-highest prevalence of e-cigarette use, aft Asia.

Tobacco usage causes an estimated 1.1m deaths crossed Europe each year.

Dr Hans Kluge, nan WHO’s location head for Europe, said that without “accelerated action” Europe would stay nan worst-performing region by 2030, and that nan precocious rates of e-cigarette usage among children was a consequence of nan manufacture targeting young people.

“We person a work to alteration people now: to shield young group from nicotine addiction, forestall manufacture interference successful wellness policy, and enforce nan regulations that will forestall a life of avoidable harm,” Kluge said.

“European girls aged 13 to 15 now person nan highest baccy usage rates among their property group anyplace successful nan world. That is not an accident, it’s nan consequence of deliberate manufacture strategy targeting young group pinch flavoured products and blase societal media marketing.

“Countries for illustration Belgium, Denmark and nan Netherlands are proving it is imaginable to push backmost by regulating caller products, banning flavours and restricting advertising. Every state successful this region should beryllium doing nan same, to protect early generations.”

The UK is connected way to execute a 30% comparative simplification successful baccy usage prevalence among group aged 15 and older, and astatine 13% has nan 3rd lowest complaint of baccy usage crossed Europe, aft Turkmenistan and Iceland.

The study recovered that only a 3rd of European countries had smoke-free laws covering each nationalist spaces, and only a 4th had bans connected baccy advertising.

Kristina Mauer-Stender, a location advisor for baccy power astatine WHO Europe, said: “Decades of advancement is astatine consequence unless policies support gait pinch a quickly evolving nicotine landscape. Applying nan aforesaid beardown baccy power devices to caller and emerging products is basal if we want to protect young group and prolong nationalist wellness gains.”