19 June 2017 GENEVA - The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) supports the outstanding efforts of tobacco cessation programs in the United States, and hopes to see that success translate globally.
A newly-published report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, between 2015 and 2016, the use of both combustible tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery devices (so-called “e-cigs”) declined in middle- and high-school students. This is the first such decline since the CDC began tracking this data in 2011.
“This is particularly important because youth are more susceptible to the effects of nicotine,” according to Dr. Dean Schraufnagel, MD, Executive Director of FIRS. “Reducing exposure to tobacco in youth can help prevent lifelong addiction.” Schraufnagel also notes preventing nicotine addiction can have a positive effect on preventing a variety of chronic diseases involving the heart and lungs.
Despite this good news from the United States, FIRS has observed tobacco consumption has been growing in many other countries. Promoting nicotine-free youth is a key step to reducing the overall number of persons with nicotine addiction. In the recently-released report entitled “The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease,” FIRS strongly recommends the use of proven techniques to reduce (and eventually eliminate) the use of tobacco products around the world.
About FIRS: The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is an organization representing the world’s leading international respiratory societies, speaking on behalf of the global respiratory community. Our primary mission is to promote respiratory health worldwide. FIRS, its member societies, their members, and the patients we serve, call for immediate action to reduce the burden of respiratory disease by supporting education and research to better treat respiratory disease, and to one day find cures.
