Study: Tobacco Control Measures May Prevent 7.4 Million Premature Deaths by 2050

A latest study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization suggests that tobacco control measures can save nearly 7.4 million people from premature deaths by 2050.

The global study shows that tobacco control measures that have been put in place in 41 countries between 2007 and 2010 are likely to prevent some 7.4 million premature deaths by 2050. This is the first study to look at the effects of the anti smoking policies since the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was established in 2005. It highlights the efforts and success of WHO FCTC in lowering tobacco use and protecting the lives of people.

"It's a spectacular finding that by implementing these simple tobacco control policies, governments can save so many lives," said lead author David Levy, PhD, professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington.

It was in 2008 that WHO came up six anti smoking policies to reduce the use of tobacco. Referred to as 'MPOWER'. the measures include  'monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies', ' protecting people from tobacco smoke,' providing support to quit the use of tobacco', cautioning people against the dangers of tobacco', 'enforcing bans on tobacco advertisings, ' promotion and sponsorship' and 'increasing the taxes on tobacco'.

In the study the researchers looked at 41 different countries that had put into practice the tobacco control policies. Out of this two countries are not Parties to the WHO FCTC. They noticed that out of 41 countries nearly 33 countries had implemented just one MPOWER policy while the remaining eight countries had incorporated more than one measure.

"In addition to some 7.4 million lives saved, the tobacco control policies we examined can lead to other health benefits such as fewer adverse birth outcomes related to maternal smoking, including low birth weight, and reduced health-care costs and less loss of productivity due to less smoking-related disease," Levy said.

Million more smoking related deaths can be controlled if these policies are implemented more widely, says Douglas Bettcher, MD, director of the department of non-communicable diseases at WHO.