New WHO report reveals alarming trend among young people: 'Decades of progress is at risk'

For decades, the public has been informed about the serious health risks of smoking. These campaigns have helped reduce tobacco use across the world. 

However, the rise of vaping has stalled this progress, and a recent set of fact sheets released by the World Health Organization revealed that the European region is the worst off, a trend which it expects to continue until 2030.

What's happening?

The fact sheets relied on data from the 10th WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic. 

This data revealed that, when the final numbers come in, the European region is the only area not expected to have achieved the goal of reducing tobacco use in women by 30% between 2010 and 2025. The actual reduction is projected to be about 12%.

Adolescents are also at serious risk, with 14.3% of teenagers aged 13 to 15 using e-cigarettes and around 4 million using tobacco products.

Adult e-cigarette usage is the second-highest in the world in this region, at 31.4 million users.

Why is this data important?

While smoking and vaping seem like personal choices, they can be deadly, not only for the individual users but also for those exposed to secondhand smoke.

Tobacco companies that push these addictive substances on younger customers create lifelong addictions before the users are old enough to understand the consequences.

"Tobacco use already causes over 1.1 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the European region each year — and without accelerated action, we will stay the worst-performing region in the world by 2030," said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a statement. 

"We have a responsibility to change course now to shield young people from nicotine addiction, prevent industry interference in health policy, and enforce the regulations that will prevent a lifetime of avoidable harm."

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Meanwhile, cigarettes and vape products are extremely common sources of litter and pollution, damaging our environment as well as public health.

What's being done about tobacco addiction in Europe?

The WHO recommended that countries in the European region expand on legal measures designed to discourage tobacco use, including advertising bans and the establishment of smoke-free public spaces like those in Hong Kong.

"Decades of progress is at risk unless policies keep pace with a rapidly evolving nicotine landscape," said Kristina Mauer-Stender, regional adviser for tobacco control at WHO/Europe, in the statement. "Applying the same strong tobacco control tools to new and emerging products is essential if we want to protect young people and sustain public health gains."

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