Going smoke free like Sweden will add years to your life, Lancet reveals
Stockholm, 8 October – New research from The Lancet reveals that going smoke free like Sweden would increase life expectancy around the world and prevent millions of premature deaths by 2050.
According to the research, reducing smoking levels to less than 5% by 2050 could increase global life expectancy by one year for men and by 0.2 years for women. This is equivalent to an additional 735 million healthy years for men and 141 million healthy years for women.
The research comes as Sweden is on the brink of becoming the first country to achieve a smoking rate of less than 5%, the threshold at which a country can officially be designated “smoke free”.
Commenting on the study, Dr. Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden, said:
“This research further underscores the importance of implementing sensible and progressive measures to reduce the smoking burden. As seen in countries like Sweden, the integration of harm reduction in public policy, and ensuring smokers have access to less harmful alternatives, such as e-cigarettes, is key to combating the deadly toll of cigarettes.”
Smoking rates in Sweden have dropped by 55% over the past decade, thanks to progressive policies supporting alternative nicotine products. Compared to the rest of the European Union, Sweden has 44% fewer tobacco-related deaths, a 41% lower cancer rate, and 38% fewer deaths attributable to any cancer. Key to this success has been the widespread acceptance of reduced-risk alternative products.
“Traditional tobacco control is not enough to bring down smoking rates. It must be complemented by a comprehensive set of harm reduction measures, including making less harmful alternative products more accessible, acceptable, and affordable,” added Dr. Human.
ENDS
About Smoke Free Sweden
Smoke Free Sweden is a campaign which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden is about to become the first ‘smoke free’ European country, with a smoking rate of below 5 percent. This remarkable achievement can be attributed to Sweden’s open attitude towards alternative products.
For more information on Sweden’s successful approach to becoming a smoke free nation, please visit www.smokefreesweden.org.
Contact
Smoke Free Sweden
info@smokefreesweden.org
www.smokefreesweden.org