The European Ex-Smoker Day was celebrated two days ago and the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology (SPP) marked the day with a campaign dedicated to young people to quit smoking, and it is in this age group that there is a significant increase of tobacco consumption.

This campaign, titled #eunaofumo, was created to commemorate the anniversary created for the European Commission.

José Pedro Boléo-Tomé and Paula Rosa, coordinators of the PSP's Committee on Smoking Work, were concerned about some of the data on adolescent tobacco consumption, which showed that the increase in consumption occurred in the population aged 15-24 years, especially in girls. The same officials also said that at age 18, 62% of young people have tried tobacco, and 43% have consumed in the last 30 days.

Faced with this reality - and responding to the call of schools and caregivers - PSP launched this campaign and sent a video under the theme to several national schools.
According to the coordinators of the Commission on Smoking Work, taking action closer to adolescents is of great importance because young people will be the smokers and sick of tomorrow and little has been done to reverse this process and create a tobacco-free generation.

Pneumologists also consider it essential to pay attention to the emerging issue of electronic cigarettes or heated tobacco: 'the experience of other countries shows that they are products appealing to the youngest, that experimentation has increased significantly and that they function as an open door to try other products, such as conventional cigarettes or other recreational drugs'.

The PSP, like the Health Regulatory Body and the World Health Organization, does not recommend the use of any of these products, and expresses serious concerns about its future development.

José Pedro Boléo-Tomé and Paula Rosa acknowledge that there is much work to be done, both at primary prevention level, as in the case of young people, and in the treatment of smokers, who should have easier access to specialized support, reimbursed drugs and to cessation visits.

Ex-Smoker's Day should be a day of hope in a world with purer air, more freedom over one's life and more health and well-being.

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