27.2% of UAE's males smoke tobacco

DUBAI - Over one quarter (27.2 per cent) of the UAE's male population and only 2.4 per cent female population smoke tobacco, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008.

WHO estimates that there are more than one billion smokers in the world today, with tobacco use killing 5.4 million people a year, an average of one person every six seconds.
The UAE Ministry of Health has been actively fighting the prevalence of smoking in the country through various initiatives designed to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and to discourage the habit.
The report says, "Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco, three out of four want to quit.
"But like people hooked to any addiction, it is difficult for most tobacco users to quit on their own, and they benefit from help and support to overcome their dependence."
George Wagih, spokesperson for the 'Nicorette' Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) range, says, "Over 35 million smokers try to quit each year, yet less than five per cent are able to complete a year."
According to the WHO report, "In addition to medical advice and quit lines (telephone support), effective treatment can also include pharmacological treatment such as NRT. NRT can double quit rates and reduces withdrawal symptoms by substituting for some of the nicotine absorbed from tobacco," he says.