To mark tobacco-free month, tens of thousands of French people have taken on the challenge of quitting. But not all French people are equal when it comes to tobacco… Here’s why!
The 9th edition of No Tobacco Month, a collective national challenge which invites all smokers to spend 30 days without smoking, began on November 1. Even if the month has started, it is never too late to start quitting smoking
Quitting smoking opens up increased health prospects. So stopping for a month multiply by 5 the chances of permanently stopping smoking, according to various studies. Beyond 30 days, withdrawal symptoms (nervousness, irritability) are greatly reduced.
Without forgetting that quitting smoking at age 40 increases on average life expectancy of 7 yearsstopping at 50 increases it by 4 ans and those who stop at 60 earn on average 3 years life expectancy.
But what we little know is that the French are not that equal when it comes to tobacco. Thus, the'Ile-de-France is the good student of smoking in France with the lowest prevalence of smokers: 22,4 % of the population, far from the national average of 25.4%. Conversely, Occitania (28.9%) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (29.5%) have higher prevalences of daily tobacco users.
A social marker
Thus, according to the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Ile-de-France, social inequalities in smoking remain strongly marked. The prevalence of daily smoking remains, in 2022, significantly higher when the level of diploma is lower.
Nearly 30.8% of people with no diploma or a diploma below the Baccalaureate are smokers while 16.8% of holders of a diploma above the Baccalaureate are smokers. The prevalence is highest among the third of the population with the lowest income (33.6%).
Note, in Ile-de-France, the very strong departmental inequalities within the Ile-de-France region in terms of standardized mortality rates from pathologies attributable to tobacco.
In Ile-de-France, strong dependence on tobacco more frequently affects men and less advantaged people (less qualified, with low income or unemployed).
In 2024, registration for the “No Tobacco Month” challenge is simplified. Tools to help you quit smoking are at the center of the campaign, in particular the promotion of the telephone number 39 89 to help you quit smoking. This year again, the interest and benefits for smokers of being supported and committing together to a tobacco-free approach is highlighted with the slogan: “You were not alone when you started, you You won't be alone in stopping.”
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