Ukrainians smoked 67 billion cigarettes last year

A February 22 workshop in Kyiv devoted to the results of the nationwide survey, “The Economics of Tobacco Control from the Standpoint of Public Health” jointly conducted by the Alcohol and Narcotics Information Center and the World Bank. The incidence rate of smoking and tobacco consumption was studied in two surveys of representative samples in November 2000 and June 2001.

According to these polls, 3% of the Ukrainian population (57% of men and 14% of women) smoke. The total number of cigarettes smoked in Ukraine last year is estimated at 67 billion or 1600-1700 for every adult. Teenagers aged 14 to 17 smoke 3.3% of the total number of cigarettes. Ukrainian smokers spent UAH 4.1 billion to buy cigarettes, with the 14-17 year-olds accounting for 4.76% of the total. The sampling says that 65% of smokers want to stop smoking, while 60% have already tried to do so. Only 2% have turned for professional assistance and 5% have used medicinal aids to kick the habit.

Center director Kostiantyn Krasovsky believes that Ukrainian experience confirms tendencies observed in other countries. Almost 1.1 billion people smoke today worldwide, and their number is expected to grow to 1.6 billion by 2025. Even now smoking kills every tenth person in the world. The World Health Organization forecasts that 10 million people will die annually by 2025 of smoking-related diseases. Should the current rate persist, 300 million out of now living children and teenagers will be killed by tobacco in adulthood.

The publication of the survey results coincided with the visit to Ukraine of a World Bank mission dealing with tobacco control. One of the mission’s tasks is to acquaint the Ukrainian public with the World Bank study, “Curbing the Epidemic: Governments and the Economics of Tobacco Control.” Taking into account the adverse effect of tobacco on human health, the World Bank has drawn up an official policy toward tobacco. The bank’s public health activities are aimed at reduced consumption of tobacco items: the bank does not give direct loans for, invest in, guarantee investments or loans for the production, processing, or sale of tobacco. Experts think Ukraine is in quite an alarming smoking situation. Project coordinator Joy de Beyer pointed out that of special concern is the wide occurrence of tobacco smoking in Ukraine among teens: half the boys and a third of girls puff the weed. The expert sees an equally alarming tendency in the fact that, while the number of Ukrainian smoking men has stabilized, that of women is rising constantly. Ms. de Beyer announced that while the World Bank financially aids twelve countries to curb the tobacco epidemic, the main thing is not money but the initiatives of governments that are able to curb the threat on their own by raising tobacco taxes, banning cigarette advertising, seizing contraband, etc. We can say the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has already made its first contribution to the noble cause of public health care by banning tobacco smoking on its premises.