In the countries, where the status of men is undoubtedly higher than that of women (Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Uganda), a cigarette in the hands of men can be seen 5 times more often. In developed countries (Australia, USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway), women smoke almost on a par with men.
Millions of women in developing countries will be exposed to the risks of disease and early death in the next decade, if the economic and political scenario of development of their countries will go in the same direction, as in the countries where the status of women is almost equal to the status of men. This is the conclusion made by the representatives of the WHO after analyzing the statistical data in 74 countries.
Douglas Bettcher, WHO Representative, states that these findings indicate the need for the authorities of developing countries to act quickly and decisively to reduce the number of smoking women, especially in less developed countries. According to him, the tobacco epidemic in these countries is still in its early stage, but it can spread quickly, if to take into account the global trend.
The proposed measures are not new: the WHO insists on the ban of advertising of tobacco products that are linked directly to women. On the contrary, educational activities are welcome. Its main leitmotif is that tobacco kills a half of smokers.
Every year, five million people in the world die from smoking tobacco. By 2030, this figure could rise to 8 million, unless action is taken.
