Number of UAE smokers on the rise

Health Professionals are taking the opportunity during the Holy Month of Ramadan to implore smokers in the UAE to quit the deadly habit, saying residents are not taking the risk of disease seriously enough.

The study suggests 24% of males aged between 13 and 15, and as many as 42% of males aged 17, are currently smoking tobacco. The study revealed 20% of the UAE's total male population is smokers, while nearly 3% of adult females are smokers.

"Smoking is embedded in eastern culture and we need to change the mentality of the significant part of our population who believe this to be true,"

said Dr Ahmed El Hakim.

Additional health promotion that addresses the cultural, social, and environmental influences of smoking are required, and will empower the community to take control of their health says Dr Hakim.

"The UAE's public sector is already engaged in quit smoking campaigns that encourage people to care for themselves and others, understand the risks of smoking, and seek support. These campaigns will eventually break down the barriers that are stopping our nation from achieving optimum health," added Dr Hakim.

Cigarette and tobacco smoke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes are the six major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease that you can modify or control.
Cigarette smoking is so widespread and significant as a risk factor that the US Surgeon General has called it "the leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States."
In support of the global stop smoking campaign, the UAE Ministry of Health has approved the registration of Champix, one of the most effective treatments for breaking the cycle of tobacco addiction.

Champix is a breakthrough treatment that had already helped millions of smokers to quit worldwide. It is a non-nicotine agent and the first new treatment approved for smoking cessation in nearly a decade.

Physicians agree that, for those aiming to quit, medication is far more effective than relying on willpower alone. In two clinical trials, patients who received Champix had almost four times more chance of quitting smoking compared to patients who simply received a placebo, over a 12-week course of therapy.