Although there are different addictions, smoking is one of the most dangerous. Its harmful effects affect consumers by increasing the chances of developing multiple diseases and conditions. In addition, their quality of life suffers a marked decrease. That is why one of your tasks is to talk to your smoking patients so they can stop using tobacco. The sooner they do it, the better.
To get an idea of its impact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that smoking causes four million deaths each year globally. In other words, every 10 seconds a person dies from illnesses related to this addiction
For its part, the predictions of the highest health body indicate that, by the end of 2021, smoking will be responsible for 12 percent of all deaths registered on the planet. If met, the percentage will be higher than that of deaths caused by HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, motor vehicle accidents, homicides and suicides combined.
In addition, it is also related to the panorama that prevails on the planet today. Recent studies have shown that smoking is among the top Covid-19 comorbidities. With this in mind, those who smoke are more likely to develop complications that can be fatal if infected.
When analyzing what happens only in our country, the panorama does not look very different. During the last two decades the number of smokers went from nine to 13 million people. As a result, it is estimated that 10 percent of deaths are caused by problems related to this addiction.
How to get smokers to quit
To reduce the number of smokers, various strategies have been implemented in multiple countries. The best known are the incorporation of legends and warning images on the packs. An additional tax is also applied and mass dissemination campaigns have been carried out to raise awareness among the population.
Now, one aspect that you should remind your patients who are smokers at all times is that it is never too late to give up the habit. It is not easy because of the sense of dependency that addiction causes; however, it is worth a try
From the information published by the WHO, we share an infographic with all the short and long-term effects that smokers experience when they quit tobacco. The list is quite extensive and you can share it with your patients to guide them towards adopting a healthy lifestyle.