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Millions adamant on kicking tobacco worldwide lack support — WHO
Jordan News
last updated:
Jun 06,2021
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AMMAN — The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a
new campaign to aid tobacco users, noting that while the pandemic has inspired
many worldwide to quit, they lack the support needed to see it through.اضافة اعلان
A new chatbot and even an AI assistant are now ready to aid
prospective quitters in their journey, WHO said in a statement.
According to the UN health agency, the finding that smokers
were more likely to develop severe disease with COVID-19 compared to
non-smokers, triggered millions of people to want to quit tobacco. But without
adequate support, quitting can be incredibly challenging.
On World No Tobacco Day 2021, the agency reiterated that the
nicotine found in tobacco is highly addictive and creates dependence, and the
behavioral and emotional ties to tobacco use – like having a cigarette with
coffee, craving tobacco, and feelings of sadness or stress – make it hard to
kick the habit.
However, with professional support and cessation services,
tobacco users double their chances of quitting successfully. Currently, over 70
percent of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide lack access to the tools
they need, and the gap in access to cessation services was further exacerbated
in the last year as the health workforce was mobilized to handle the pandemic.
“Smokers have up to a 50 percent higher risk of developing
severe disease and death from COVID-19, so quitting is best thing smokers can
do to lower their risk from this coronavirus, as well as the risk of developing
cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses,” , WHO Director-General.Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“We urge all countries to play their part by joining the WHO
campaign and creating tobacco-free environments that give people the
information, support and tools they need to quit, and quit for good”, he added.
Tedros announced that WHO is taking advantage of digital
tools to help tobacco users and has released the Quit Challenge chatbot, and
the Artificial Intelligence digital health worker, Florence.
The Quit Challenge gives daily notifications of tips and
encouragement for up to six months to help people remain tobacco-free. It is
available for free on WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger and WeChat.
The agency also released a “quitting toolkit” which includes
these innovations, but also existing services such as brief advice from health
professionals and national toll-free quit-lines.
Globally, roughly 39 percent of men and 9 percent of women
use tobacco. The highest tobacco use rates among men are currently found in the
Western Pacific region at 49 percent, and among women in Europe at 19 percent.
As part of the “Commit to Quit” initiative, WHO called for
the adoption of bold policies that promote tobacco cessation; increasing access
to smoking cessation services; raising awareness of the tobacco industry's
tactics; and support for consumers trying to stay away from tobacco.
Currently, 29 countries are working with the agency to
support tobacco cessation through national awareness campaigns, new digital
tools, policy review, training of health workers, opening of specialized
clinics, support for nicotine replacement therapies, and courses to quit
smoking.