International Day Against Tobacco Use - The trend of young people avoiding smoking persists.
Decrease in youth smoking: A report by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) revealed that the number of young smokers has considerably reduced since 2001. The head of the BZgA, Johannes Nießen, stated, "Smoking cigarettes is not cool for most young people."
While in 2001, 27.2% of male youths smoked, in 2015 the rate dropped to 9.3%, and it was 7.2% in 2023. Similarly, amongst the 12-17-year-old girls, the smoking rate fell from 27.9% in 2001 to 6.1% in 2016 while remaining 6.4% in 2023.
The trends persisted in the 18-25 age group. The survey conducted in 2023 showed that 33.6% of young men and 18.4% of young women were smokers. However, in 2001, the figures stood at 46.7% for men and 42.2% for women in this age bracket.
Disposable e-cigarettes popularity: According to the survey, around 7% of 12-17-year-olds and 12% of 18-25-year-olds used disposable e-cigarettes within the last 30 days. In total, 7,001 participants aged 12-25 were interviewed between April and June 2023.
E-cigarettes appeal to youths due to their small, colorful, and low-cost nature, remarked the Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, Burkhard Blienert. Despite this prevalence, nearly 127,000 individuals still perish annually due to tobacco-related consequences. These include conditions like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Lung cancer remains the second most prevalent cancer in German men and the third most common in women.
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- The reduction in youth smoking is a global trend, with Germany seeing a significant decline since 2001, as celebrated on World No Tobacco Day.
- Conversely, the popularity of E-cigarettes among young individuals in Germany has been on the rise, according to the latest BZgA report.
- Despite the decrease in smoking among women and men in Germany, smoking-related health issues continue to pose a significant threat, particularly lung cancer.
- The Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) in Cologne has reported that the use of disposable E-cigarettes among 12-25-year-olds in Germany has risen, with no smoking regulations seemingly having little impact.
- In her efforts to address the issue, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, Burkhard Blienert, has emphasized the appeal of E-cigarettes to young people due to their small, colorful, and low-cost design.
- On this International Day Against Tobacco Use, it's crucial to remind everyone, including people in Germany, of the severe health implications related to smoking and E-cigarette use, emphasizing the importance of discontinuing these habits for better overall health.
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