Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction In Serbia, smoking prevalence and exposure to tobacco use are high without signs of significant decline for years. Despite its high burden, tobacco use in Serbia is still not recognized in a sufficient manner as a problem in the society. In order to provide country specific evidence aimed at changing social norms of the general population as well as decision makers and to provide their support for effective tobacco control policy, study on social and economic consequences of tobacco use was conducted. Material and Methods For calculating smoking-attributable life and working years lost data were obtained through Study on economic and social impact of tobacco use in Serbia, supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and implemented by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia. Study was implemented in 2018. using the method proposed by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) which includes 15 diseases related to smoking. Health survey conducted in Serbia in 2013 was source of data on prevalence of current and past smoking status, while life expectancy and mortality data for 2016 were obtained from the Serbian National Statistical Office. Results In total, 202532 years of life and 32319 working years were lost due to smoking in Serbia. On average, smokers die 16 years earlier than non-smokers with average number of life years lost 15.2 for males and 16.9 for females. Working years lost by those who died between the age of 35-64 was 7.3 for males and 3.7 for females. Conclusions Results provide additional evidence base for high burden of tobacco in Serbia and call for urgent implementation of all FCTC tobacco control measures. Smoking-attributable life and working years lost should be communicated from public health and economic perspective and should be tackled not only by health but also other sectors.
Source: Tobacco Prevention & Cessation
DOI: 10.18332/tpc/163030
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,617
Funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation, European Commission, Generalitat de Catalunya, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut National Du Cancer, Universidad de Granada, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago, Plan Nacional sobre Drogas, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Regional Development Fund, National Cancer Institute
Awards: G3304509792, G6122222817
OpenAlex ID: W4366978874