World No Tobacco Day 2024

World No Tobacco Day or WNTD, or the anti-tobacco day, has been observed on May 31 every year since 1989. It aims to raise awareness about the perils of smoking and the negative consequences of tobacco on health that currently lead to more than 8 million deaths worldwide annually. It specifically encourages and supports smokers to quit or switch by promoting novel, effective and compassionate solutions. The anti-tobacco day has been met with both encouragement and resistance from governments, public health NGOs, smokers, tobacco growers, and industries.

History of World No Tobacco Day

• 1987 - The World Health Organisation (WHO) passed a resolution calling for 7^th April 1988 to be declared as a ‘World No-smoking Day’. Their main objective was to encourage tobacco users globally to abstain from using tobacco products for 24 hours.

• 1988 - Another resolution was passed by the WHO calling for the observance of a World No Tobacco Day, annually on May 31^st. Since then, the WHO and its member countries have been tirelessly making efforts towards observance of this day by promoting theme-based campaigns across the world.

• 1998 - The WHO established the Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI), which assists in creating global public health policy and mobilisation between societies.

• 2008 – The WHO, on the eve of the anti-tobacco day, called for a ban on tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and promotion.

Importance and Significance of World No Tobacco Day

• Despite a decline in the number of smokers worldwide, the global population growth has resulted in a far greater number of smokers.

• As of 2019, there are around 1 billion smokers worldwide, 80 percent of which reside in the developing countries

• More than 8 million deaths occur annually due to smoking-related diseases, that include 1.2 million deaths of non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke

• Tobacco smoking is responsible for a large portion of 2.1 million lung cancer cases globally as well as the prime cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

What is the Theme for World No Tobacco Day 2022?

World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year with a theme. This year, the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2022 is ‘Tobacco-Threat to our Environment’. Last year in 2021, the theme for the day was, ‘Commit to Quit’.

World No Tobacco Day Around the Globe

Different health agencies, NGOs, government organisations arrange various events to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco. The WHO’s global campaign aims at raising public awareness about the complete tobacco cycle right from its cultivation, production, distribution as well as the toxic waste generated by it. The World Health Organisation is also giving awards to individuals and organisations for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. There will be a maximum of six awards to nominations received from the six WHO regions around the world. These and many more public events will be held in several countries to raise awareness and drive the people towards saying no to tobacco!

How to Observe World No Tobacco Day

• Governments national and local levels are encouraged by the WHO to conduct public events every year to spread awareness between communities about anti-tobacco usage and help them observe the anti-tobacco day in their local ways.

• Some of the local community events include marathon runs, public debates, letters to the government and local media, anti-tobacco activist campaigns, public art, and educational programmes.

• The anti-tobacco day has been used by the governments as a launchpad for initiating new tobacco control measures and implementing new smoking prohibitions. The government of India has launched a Smoking Cessation Helpline to help curtail the prevalent tobacco addiction in India, which has one of the highest tobacco consumption levels across the world.

• You can also share wishes and quotes related to World No Tobacco Day to do your bit and raise awareness about the day.

• If you are a smoker, you can quit smoking on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2022 for a healthy lifestyle.

As mentioned, World No Tobacco Day calls for saying no to tobacco and raising awareness about the same. It promotes a healthy lifestyle and works towards eradicating tobacco from our lives. You can also observe the day by getting health insurance for yourself to secure your finances during any unwanted health emergencies. Interestingly, you can also save on your health insurance premiums if you are a non-smoker.

Conclusion

According to the WHO’s statistics, India accounts for 12 percent of the world’s smokers and more than 1 million Indians die of tobacco-related ailments. Despite considerable progress on tobacco control in India, people, especially men and children continue to fall sick and die due to tobacco use. Treating tobacco-related ailments is an expensive affair and smokers and their families should get themselves insured with a medical insurance policy that covers critical illnesses.

 

Buying a health insurance policy at Bajaj Markets provides the insured and his family with financial coverage while getting treated for tobacco-related critical illnesses. Besides, it provides a range of other benefits such as lower premiums, quick claim settlement, and diligent customer service. Applying for a health insurance policy at Bajaj Markets is very easy and involves minimal documentation.