The research, carried out by the Department of Health Sciences at UIC Barcelona, shows the trend in tobacco consumption in Spain in recent years and how it is expected to change through to 2025 by gender and age group, with emphasis on the increase in tobacco use among women aged 40 to 64.
According to lecturer José M. Martínez-Sánchez, the study’s principal investigator, “if the trend is not reversed, research shows that Spain will fail to meet the targets for women set by the WHO to cut tobacco use by 30% by 2025”.
Though the findings reveal a constant decrease in tobacco use in both sexes, due mainly to a marked drop among men and young women (under 40), the consumption of tobacco among women aged 40 to 64 is expected to rise. Consequently, the morbidity and mortality rates due to tobacco-related illnesses among women are forecast to increase in the coming years.
Tobacco use is one of the biggest threats to public health and one of the main causes of death worldwide. As a result, the authors of this study stress the need to define and strengthen public health activities aimed at reducing tobacco consumption, particularly among women, and to prevent adolescents from using any form of tobacco.
