The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines smoking as a chronic, relapsing, addictive disease.
Tobacco kills more than eight million people worldwide each year, of whom approximately 1.2 million die from second-hand smoke to which non-smokers are exposed, making smoking a major individual and public health problem.
On the other hand, tobacco use is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases, mainly affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, but it also leads to the development of diseases such as diabetes and certain types of cancer and has even been linked to an increased risk of developing severe symptoms if affected by COVID-19.
The WHO recommends smokers to try to quit smoking as soon as possible through proven methods such as nicotine replacement therapy. In addition, there are regulatory measures such as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) aimed at reducing the demand for tobacco through strategies such as monitoring tobacco prevention and use policies, protecting people from tobacco smoke, providing warnings about the dangers of tobacco and support for cessation, and enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
In the light of the evidence, it seems essential that governments integrate smoking cessation interventions into primary health care services and provide personalised interventions by qualified health care providers for this group of patients. In this respect, one measure that would be highly cost-effective and has been highlighted in recent years by different collegiate groups is the incorporation of pharmacists or clinical psychologists in this first level of health care. Frontline health professionals can be seen by patients as role models, so it is important that they have adequate, quality training on the risks of tobacco use and the different interventions aimed at helping people to quit smoking before becoming agents that support measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking among the population.
In this sense, this degree has been designed with the aim of equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to act as health agents aimed at recognising, preventing and treating smoking addiction and participating in educational and smoking cessation policies.
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Diptych of the Degree.