Tobacco control: prevention and cessation in Europe

Abstract

Reasons for high smoking prevalence in Europe compared to Australia and North America are low prices of tobacco adjusted for purchasing power and poor smoke-free legislation and enforcement in Central and Eastern Europe. High rates of passive smoking in Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Austria are associated with weak implementation of smoke-free public rooms, especially in the hospitality industry. In 2018 Austria cancelled the smoking ban in all bars and restaurants and continued to allow access to minors, while Hungary since 2012 showed remarkable success by limiting supply of cigarettes and by banning access of minors to tobacco shops. Even more advanced are Western European countries because of lower affordability of cigarettes, ban of smoking rooms and tobacco advertising, plain packaging and public information campaigns. Smoking cessation services across Europe make use of quitlines, provide internet counseling and apps for self-help. Cooperation with physicians should be improved and could help oncologists to combine cancer screening with smoking cessation. Cancer therapy is more successful after smoking cessation.