Today is World No Tobacco Day

Every year on 31^st May, the World Health Organization and partners around the world celebrate World No Tobacco Day. The day aims to highlight the health issues and various other risks that are associated with tobacco use, and advocates for effective policies to be put into place to reduce the population’s tobacco consumption.

World No Tobacco Day 2018 coincides with a range of global initiatives and opportunities aimed at addressing the tobacco epidemic and its impact on the public’s health, particularly in causing the death and suffering of millions of people globally.

These actions include the Global Hearts and RESOLVE initiatives, which aim to reduce cardiovascular disease deaths and improve care, and the third United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, which will be held in 2018.

This year, the focus of World No Tobacco Day is “tobacco and heart disease”, looking at the impact tobacco has on cardiovascular health. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the links between tobacco and heart/cardiovascular diseases, simultaneously pointing out actions and measures that governments and the public can take to reduce the risks to their heart posed by tobacco consumption.

The other main aims of World No Tobacco Day 2018 are:

• To increase awareness within the broader public of the impact tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke have on cardiovascular health.
• To provide opportunities for the public, governments and others to make commitments to promote heart health by protecting people from use of tobacco products.
• To encourage countries to strengthen implementation of the proven MPOWER tobacco control measures contained in the WHO FCTC.

One local health service getting involved with helping people deal with their smoking habit is the City Health Care Partnership (CHCP), an independent co-owned business that provides a wide range of health and care services to people across Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, Knowsley and St Helens, Merseyside and Wigan.

CHCP have their own website dedicated to people looking to quit, containing advice and a wide range of stories from those who have used the service to help end their habit.

Research shows that you are five times more likely to quit smoking successfully with support, and Ready to Stop Smoking offers a wide range of local free services for people looking for help, from walk in sessions to 1-2-1s. It also runs an online programme and mobile phone support, making it highly accessible.

“We know that quitting isn’t easy but we want to reassure smokers that free and convenient support is available for them,” explains Wendy Samuels, Stop Smoking Service Manager. “Our team of trained advisors are here to give convenient and practical help throughout the quit journey.”

If you’d like assistance from CHCP to help you quit smoking, you can visit the website above or give their helpline a call on 01482 247111.