Europeans Are World’s Biggest Smokers and Drinkers: WHO
By Simeon Bennett & Andrea Gerlin - Mar 12, 2013 8:01 PM ET
Europeans are the world’s biggest smokers and drinkers, according to a World Health Organization report that says higher prices on cigarettes and alcohol in the region may help curb the death and disease they cause.
On average, 27 percent of people over 15 smoke across the 53 nations that make up the WHO’s European region, higher than in any other part of the world, the Geneva-based agency said today in its triennial health report on the continent, home to 900 million people. Europeans also consume an average of 10.6 liters of alcohol a year, more than in any other region, according to the report.
The two habits are the main contributors to cancer and heart disease, which account for 70 percent of all deaths, as well as respiratory illnesses, the WHO said. Lower prices are linked to higher demand and the deleterious health effects of smoking and alcohol abuse, the agency said.
“When you look at the region as a whole, smoking and alcohol are some of the most important lifestyle factors that are causing death and disability,” said
Claudia Stein, director of the division of information, evidence, research and innovation at WHO, at a press conference in London.
While tobacco has been linked with cancer for years, smoking also increases heart risks, research has shown. Drinking too much alcohol has been associated with a greater chance of developing cancers including breast and colon tumors, as well as heart disease.
more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-13/europeans-are-world-s-biggest-smokers-and-drinkers-who.html
DO SOMETHING!
| 