No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day was first introduced by the World Health Organization to be celebrated as a most recognized event all over the world in order to make people easily get aware of all the problems and health complications occurred by the tobacco chewing or smoking to prevent all the health hazards to make the whole world free of tobacco and healthy world of people.
Various other health related events are also organized by the WHO such as AIDS Day, Mental Health Day, Blood Donor Day, Cancer Day and etc to make world free of diseases and its complications. All the events are organized and being celebrated throughout the world very significantly.
It was first celebrated on 7th of April in the year 1988 at 40th WHO Anniversary and later it was declared to be celebrated as No Tobacco Day on 31st of May every year. It was created as World No Tobacco Day in the year 1987 by the member states of WHO.
It is celebrated intending to aware and encourage people to reduce or completely stop the tobacco consumption in any form all across the globe. The day celebration aims to draw public attention globally to spread the message of harmful effects of tobacco use as well as its complications to others. Variety of global organizations involved in this campaign such as state governments, public health organizations and etc organizes various public awareness programmes locally.
Nicotine addiction is very bad for the health which is lethal and known as brain “wanting” disease which can never be cured however can be fully arrested. It binds the brain dopamine pathways just like other illegal drugs, meth, alcohol, heroin and etc. It prepares the brain to send false message about the need of nicotine to the body as necessary as other survival activities like eating and drinking food and liquids.
Varieties of nicotine addiction quitting method are provided by the health organizations to help the ex-users on the earth to prevent their lives. WHO has banned the promotion, advertisement and sponsorship of the tobacco or its products while celebrating the World No Tobacco Day of 2008 and through the campaign message of “Tobacco-free youth”.
World No Tobacco Day 2019
World No Tobacco Day 2019 was observed all across the world by the people on Friday, the 31st of May.
World No Tobacco Day theme 2019 was “Tobacco and Lung Health”. The theme focused on the dangers of tobacco on lungs which leads to cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
WHO organized a campaign to raise awareness on the negative impacts of tobacco on health, especially on lungs. It also focused on the importance of lungs and how it plays a vital role for overall well being of a person.
The government of Chhattisgarh conducted a campaign which prevented the sale of tobacco products near schools and colleges to observe the World No Tobacco Day. The campaign named ‘Yellow Line’ painted a yellow line 100 yards from the school and college highlighting it as a tobacco-free area.
In Aurangabad, a cycle rally was organised on the day to make people aware about the adverse effects of tobacco use. The rally was supported by Kalabai Kale Foundation, Mahora and United Cigma Hospital.
How World No Tobacco Day is Celebrated and activities Performed
World No Tobacco Day celebration is organized on annual basis by the WHO and its member states including non-governmental and governmental organizations for the people to get aware of all the health issues caused by the tobacco use.
Some of the activities which are organized for celebrating the day are public marches, demonstrations programmes, big banners, advertising campaigns through educational programs, direct oral communication with common public to encourage and promote them to stop smoking, organize meetings for involved campaigners, marches, public debates, anti-tobacco activities, public art, health camps, rallies and parades, implementing new laws to restrict the smoking in particular areas and so many effective activities. It has not been declared as a public holiday or official holiday however, it is celebrated with lots of effective campaigns.
It is very necessary to ban or stop the use of tobacco on global basis as it leads to many illnesses like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (also called COPD), lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, chronic heart diseases, emphysema, variety of cancers and etc. Tobacco can be used in many forms such as cigarettes, cigars, bidis, creamy snuff (tooth paste), kreteks, pipes, gutkha, chewing tobacco, hand rolling tobacco, snuff, water pipes, snus and many more so it is very necessary to ban the use of tobacco products as well.
According to the increasing demand of “ban the tobacco use”, a resolution was passed by the WHO on 15th of May in 1987 to celebrate an annual event called World No Smoking Day on 7th of April in 1988 which was later changed to be celebrated as World No Tobacco Day on 31st of May in 1989 and further according to another resolution on 17th of May in 1989.
Common people including non-governmental and governmental organizations become actively involved in the celebration of World No Tobacco Day to draw other people attention to get aware of health problems of tobacco use. People use different types of the symbols to attract people’s mind towards the celebration to actively take part in. Some of the symbols are clean ashtrays with flowers, symbolizing major body organs (like heart, lungs, kidney and etc) damage from tobacco use, demonstrating no smoking signs, symbolizing death of brain due to smoking, posters display directly or indirectly using internet sites, blogs and other means.
WHO is a main organization which acts as a central hub for organizing World No Tobacco Day all around the world. Award ceremonies are also organized since 1988 by the WHO to encourage organizations or individuals who actively and amazingly contributed to the event in reducing the tobacco consumption. During this award ceremony special awards and recognition certificates are distributed to the organizations and individuals of any region or country.
Why is World No Tobacco Day Celebrated and its History
The main objective of celebrating the World No Tobacco Day all over the world is to promote and encourage the common public to reduce or stop the use of tobacco or its products consumption as it may lead to the some lethal diseases (cancer, heart problem) or even death. Individuals from different region of the country, non-profit and public health organizations get participated very actively in the campaign celebration to get global success and involves in distributing placards, posters display having latest theme and information related to the bad effects of tobacco use or its product smoking.
It also aims to keep constant watch on the companies involved in the sell, purchase or advertisements of tobacco or its products to enhance the consumption of their products. In order to make the campaign effective, WHO creates a special theme of the year related to the World No Tobacco Day. This event celebration plays a big role in drawing attention of public and government towards the real need of all the effective measures for preventing tobacco consumption on world level as well as makes the environment a pollution-free environment.
Tobacco use kills at least one out of the 10 people worldwide every year whereas the number of tobacco user all around the world is 1.3 billion. We can control around 100 million of premature deaths of people by reducing the tobacco use by 20-25% by 2020 which is possible by applying all the anti-smoking efforts and measures such as banning the TV or radio advertising for tobacco, launching new and effective public awareness campaigns displaying dangers and necessity to stop smoking in the public places. According to the statistics, it has been noted around 37.6% reduction in the number of smokers in 1955 whereas 20.8% in 2006.
It is noted that more than 50% of the men are smokers in the China. The Government of each and every country must require to take some effective measures on regional and national level to reduce the effect of this worst condition. It can be done by applying some anti-smoking policies such as raising the tobacco taxes, limiting the sale, purchase, advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of the tobacco or its products, organizing public health checkup camps to evaluate the dangers of smoking and so many.
Timeline/Steps Taken By the WHO on World No Tobacco Day
WHO has taken many steps in reducing or banning the use of tobacco or its products by establishing an event called World No Tobacco Day and various other health awareness campaigns on world level. Some of the special steps taken by the WHO towards no tobacco use are mentioned below:
> WHO had passed a resolution called WHA40.38 in 1987 to celebrate an event called “World no-smoking day” on 7th of April in 1988 on its 40th anniversary aiming to request and aware tobacco users all over the world to reduce or quit the use of tobacco.
> WHO had passed another resolution called WHA42.19 in 1988 to celebrate an event called World No Tobacco Day yearly on every 31st of May. It also supports the celebration by organizing various events and tobacco-related themes.
> WHO had established another event called Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) in 1998 aiming to focus on international resources as well as draw people’s attention towards the global health issues of tobacco use. It helps in creating the public health policies globally, encouraging people across societies and etc for effective tobacco Control.
> WHO FCTC is another public health treaty adopted globally in 2003 as an agreement of implementing policies for tobacco cessation.
> WHO had declared ban on tobacco advertisement, sponsorship and promotion on the eve of World No Tobacco Day celebration in 2008 by creating the theme “Tobacco-free youth”.
World No Tobacco Day Themes
For effectively celebrating the World no Tobacco Day all over the world, WHO selects a special theme every year as central component in order to distribute a global message to the people for more awareness. Other publicity materials for the theme like brochures, posters, fliers, press releases, websites and etc are also provided by the WHO to the members organizing the celebration of World no Tobacco Day. Year wise themes from 1987 to the 2014 are listed below:
- The theme for 1987 was “1st Smoke-free Olympics (1988 Olympic Winter Games – Calgary)”.
- The theme for 1988 was “Tobacco or Health: choose health”.
- The theme for 1989 was “Women and tobacco: the female smoker: at added risk”.
- The theme for 1990 was “Childhood and youth without tobacco: growing up without tobacco”.
- The theme for 1991 was “Public places and transport: better be tobacco free”.
- The theme for 1992 was “Tobacco free workplaces: safer and healthier”.
- The theme for 1993 was “Health services: our windows to a tobacco free world”.
- The theme for 1994 was “Media and tobacco: get the message across”.
- The theme for 1995 was “Tobacco costs more than you think”.
- The theme for 1997 was “United for a tobacco free world”.
- The theme for 1996 was “Sport and art without tobacco: play it tobacco free”.
- The theme for 1998 was “Growing up without tobacco”.
- The theme for 1999 was “Leave the pack behind”.
- The theme for 2000 was “Tobacco kills, don’t be duped”.
- The theme for 2001 was “Second-hand smoke kills”.
- The theme for 2002 was “Tobacco free sports”.
- The theme for 2003 was “Tobacco free film, tobacco free fashion”.
- The theme for 2004 was “Tobacco and poverty, a vicious circle”.
- The theme for 2005 was “Health professionals against tobacco”.
- The theme for 2006 was “Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise”.
- The theme for 2007 was “Smoke free inside”.
- The theme for 2008 was “Tobacco-free youth”.
- The theme for 2009 was “Tobacco health warnings”.
- The theme for 2010 was “Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women”.
- The theme for 2011 was “The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control”.
- The theme for 2012 was “Tobacco industry interference”.
- The theme for 2013 was “Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”.
- The theme for 2014 was “raise taxes on tobacco”.
- The theme for 2015 was “Stop illicit trade of tobacco products”.
- The theme for 2016 was “Get ready for plain packaging”.
- The theme for 2017 was “Tobacco – a threat to development”.
- The theme for 2018 is “Tobacco and heart disease”. It will focus on the cardiovascular health.
- The theme for 2019 is “Tobacco and Lung Health” which will focus on the dangers of tobacco on lungs which leads to cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
World No Tobacco Day quotes
“Giving up tobacco is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” Mark Twain
“Tobacco kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” Brooke Shield
“The True Face of Tobacco Is disease, death and horror- not the glamour and sophistication the pushers in the tobacco industry try to portray.” David Byrne
“Much smoking kills live men and cures dead swine.” George D. Prentice
“The best way to stop smoking is to just stop – no ifs, ands or butts.” Edith Zittler
“Cigarettes are killers that travel in packs.” Author Unknown
“Quoting like Tobacco is the dirty habit to which i am devoted.” Carolyn Heilbrun
