GENEVA: The UN World Health Organization released its first-ever guidelines to help people quit smoking. These WHO guidelines include various initiatives, treatments, and digital interventions aimed at aiding over 750 million adults who want to stop using tobacco products such as cigarettes, waterpipes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, roll-your-own tobacco, and heated tobacco products.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the importance of these guidelines. He stated, “This guideline is a crucial step in our global fight against these harmful products. It provides countries with essential tools to support individuals in quitting tobacco and reducing the global burden of tobacco-related diseases.”
Despite the fact that 750 million tobacco users, or 60% of the world’s 1.25 billion users, want to quit, many lack access to the necessary services due to limited resources and other health system challenges.
Rüdiger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO, emphasized the challenges individuals face when trying to quit smoking. He said, “We must recognize the strength it takes and the suffering endured by individuals and their loved ones to overcome this addiction. These guidelines are meant to help communities and governments provide the best possible support for those on this difficult journey.”
The guidelines recommend a mix of pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions to increase the chances of quitting successfully. WHO encourages countries to offer these treatments at no or reduced cost to improve accessibility, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
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Medications such as varenicline, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), bupropion, and cytisine are suggested. For behavioral interventions, brief counseling sessions with health workers lasting between 30 seconds to three minutes are recommended. More intensive options include individual, group, or phone counseling sessions.
Additionally, WHO suggests digital interventions like text messaging, smartphone apps, and internet programs as supplementary or self-management tools.
