In a report released Friday, the national director of public health of Quebec believes that it is necessary to focus efforts to fight smoking among young adults.
PROTECTING THE MOST VULNERABLE AGAINST THE BAD OF SMOKING
The document, entitled Smoking in Young Adults - Working Together to Reduce Prevalence, denotes the intersection of two trends: is not the group of 18 to 34 years the one with the highest proportion of smokers (almost one in three), but they are also the people to whom the youngest are turning for advice and inspiration. With the key, a greater risk that these same young people themselves are also consuming tobacco products.
According to the most recent data available, that of 2013-2014, some 21% of Quebecers aged 12 and over were consuming tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, etc.), or about 1 425 900 people. If the situation has improved in recent years, the document states, " the game is not won, however, since the Quebec average of current smokers remains above the Canadian average, which is 18% ».
To explain the proportion of young smokers also higher in Quebec than in the whole country, the report makes some assumptions: the multiplication of products, first, with the water pipe, the cigarillos, as well as the electronic cigarette . Secondly, the data available do not take into account the entry into force, since the end of August 2016, of the prohibition to sell here tobacco products with a flavor or aroma other than tobacco. " This legislation, it says in the document, will certainly affect young adults, from whom flavored products were very popular. »
Yet, the observation is clear: " No threshold is safe for tobacco use "Says the document, which recalls that smoking would be responsible for more than 10 000 deaths each year in Quebec, half of which will occur before the age of 69 years.
Smoking would also have a social and economic cost: 15 years ago, it is almost 4 billion dollars that would have gone up in smoke, mainly in the form of lost productivity for causes of illness and premature death. More recently, in 2013-2014, the Ministry of Finance was talking about a direct impact on the health system reaching 1,6 billion.
What are the solutions, in this case, to make these young smokers understand that it is more than essential to crush? Quebec says it wants to use the various existing communication channels to its advantage, including social marketing for target the most vulnerable ».
« This type of intervention offers the opportunity to address specific populations by doing a specific segmentation, for example by targeting the groups of young people most likely to be smokers or those most at risk of becoming so. "Reads the report.
« To promote cessation of smoking among adults, the interventions deemed effective are multiple and are carried out on several levels to target a large number of smokers »; While the recommendations are often the same as for adults in general, the government says it has noticed some peculiarities " which can " serve as a reflection In order to better serve 18 customers at 34 years.
It is proposed to use more new technologies, text messages, social media, mobile applications, websites, etc., these seem " promising, especially to arouse the interest of young adults ". Quebec would also consider linking tobacco control interventions to physical activity.
« However, further studies are needed to conclude the effectiveness of these promising practices and the conditions to optimize them. Says the state.
Better understand the reality of young adults who smoke, but also the tactics of the tobacco industry; better reach these populations, and better protect young adults by reducing their access to tobacco products and protecting them from second-hand smoke ... that's what Quebec proposes in its report.
« We need to intensify efforts with more vulnerable clienteles, including young adults. It will be the entire Quebec society that will win ", We conclude.
Source : Pieuvre.ca
