Dr. Cristina Martínez , head of the Tobacco Control Unit, participated this Monday, May 26, in the presentation of the results of the Catalan Health Survey (ESCA) 2024 in relation to tobacco consumption and passive exposure. The press conference, organized by the Public Health Secretariat of the Department of Health, was held within the framework of World No Tobacco Day, on May 31, which is commemorated each year by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The event also included the participation of the Secretary of Public Health, Esteve Fernández Muñoz ; the head of the Service for Prevention and Control of Smoking and Injuries of the Secretariat of Public Health, Josep M. Suelves, and the coordinator of the Primary Care Group for Approaching Smoking of CAMFiC, Joan Lozano . As head of the WHO collaborating center for tobacco control, Dr. Cristina Martínez presented a set of recommendations from the Council of the European Union to strengthen protection from tobacco smoke and aerosols.
According to the results of the survey, 21.4% of the Catalan population aged 15 and over smoke (26.1% of men and 16.8% of women) and more than 60% of people who use electronic cigarettes continue to smoke tobacco at the same time. Although the figure is significantly lower than in 2010, the Secretariat has noted that smoking continues to be a serious public health problem, as demonstrated by the fact that nearly 10,000 people die in Catalonia every year from diseases caused by tobacco consumption or exposure to environmental smoke. The focus has also been on electronic cigarettes or vapers. Their consumption among the general population remains at relatively low levels, but many people have experimented with the use of these products and their use in adolescence is already a cause for concern.
