Campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2019

Na Kyoung-In, Oh Kyung-Won
Division of Health and Nutrition Survey, Center for Disease Prevention, KCDC

World Health Organization (WHO) has celebrated World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, every year since 1987. The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2019 is “tobacco and lung health.” The campaign aims at promoting awareness on the negative impact that tobacco has on people’s lung health, from cancer to chronic respiratory disease, and the fundamental role lungs play for the health and well-being of all people. The campaign also serves as a call to action, advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption and engaging stockholders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control. The World No Tobacco Day 2019 campaign emphasizes raising awareness on the:
▴risks posed by tobacco smoking and second-hand smoke exposure
▴awareness on the particular dangers of tobacco smoking to lung health
▴magnitude of death and illness globally from lung diseases caused by tobacco, including chronic respiratory diseases and lung cancer
▴emerging evidence on the link between tobacco smoking and tuberculosis deaths
▴implications of second-hand exposure for lung health of people across age groups
▴importance of lung health to achieving overall health and well-being
▴feasible actions and measures that key audiences, including the public and governments, can take to reduce the risks to lung health posed by tobacco.
More enhanced control measures are urgently needed to protect the public from diseases and deaths that are attributable to tobacco use and exposure to its smoke.

Keywords: World Health Organization, World No Tobacco Day, Lung health