Helpline for smoking cessation activates the next interval o EODYin the context of a more general effort to control smoking in Greece, which currently reaches 38% of the population, despite the fact that there has been a significant reduction in conventional cigarettes over the last decade.

The Greeks remain among the most heat-resistant, as our country holds the scepter in smoking, compared to other European countries, but also states in the USA, where smoking rates are lower. The president of the EODY, Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology at the University of Thessaly, Christos Hatzichristodoulou, who describes smoking as one of the most important risk factors for the health of the Greek population, spoke in detail to FM Agency and journalist Tania Madouvalou about the upcoming actions of the EODY.

European award 2024 to the president of EODY for his contribution to tobacco control

The president of EODY opened his papers on the occasion of the ENSP 2024 award recently awarded to him by the European Network for Smoking & Tobacco Prevention, for his outstanding contribution to tobacco control, dating back at least a decade and well before he took the reins EODY.

The award took place at the opening ceremony of the 9th ENSP European Conference on Tobacco Control (ECTC), which brings together leading scientists, institutions and organizations from all over Europe, with the aim of promoting anti-smoking strategies and ensuring public health. How this award came about is the first question that was put to Mr. Hatzichristodoulou: “Since 2013, we have been conducting studies concerning smoking in children, but also in adults, and studies on the risk factors related to the initiation of smoking, because good stopping is a control measure, but prevention is clearly better, i.e. not starting to smoke.”

Almost 4 out of ten smoke – What are the preferences of the Greek theriaklis

According to the professor, in a recent EODY study conducted on adults, it was found that “38% of Greeks use any tobacco product or e-cigarettes, including conventional tobacco products (ready-made mass-produced cigarettes, rolling cigarettes, cigars, pipe with tobacco, hookah), heated tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes.

  • 31% of Greek adults smoke conventional tobacco products
  • 9% of Greek adults use heated tobacco products
  • 7% of Greek adults use electronic cigarettes

Exclusive use:

  • 24% of Greek adults use exclusively conventional tobacco products
  • 4% of Greek adults use exclusively heated tobacco products
  • 3% of Greek adults use e-cigarettes exclusively

Multiple use:

  • 8% of Greek adults double or triple use

Specifically for multiple use:

  • Triple use (conventional, heated, electronic): 1%
  • Dual use (conventional & heated): 4%
  • Dual use (conventional & electronic): 2%
  • Dual use (electronic & heated): 1%

As the president of EODY clarifies, there has been a significant decrease in conventional cigarettes in the last decade, and at the same time an increase in electronic cigarettes, especially at young ages, “which we have to deal with, because we still don’t know what effects it can have. In theory, the risk is lower, but not enough time has passed to draw safe conclusions. However, there are studies in which there are indications of serious effects and in any case, we expect even more in the coming years. Also, the study drew conclusions about passive smoking, which we are not happy with.”

Tightening the law – A study in children

Obviously, we need to strengthen the ban on smoking in closed public places and this is the direction the Ministry of Health is heading, emphasizes the president of EODY, referring to the Greek mentality, on the basis of which the relevant law sometimes becomes “tobacco”. From his words, it follows that the health authorities in the next period of time are going to place great emphasis on the reduction of smoke in closed public places, aiming for its zero. At the same time, the president of EODY points out that “the total percentage of smokers, 38%, is particularly worrying, because we are one of the first countries in the world in smoking, if you consider that the average in Europe is at 29% and in the USA at 19.8%. However, we hope to reach 5% in 2040, which is the European, and therefore also Greek, goal”. And in this context, EODY is planning a series of targeted actions, which the head of the Organization revealed to FM Agency:

1. “After the study in adults, we plan to immediately start a study in children, and there we want to focus on the risk factors associated with the onset, so that we can intervene in a targeted way. B.C. we have found that pocket size is associated with smoking, and smoking at these ages is also associated with having disposable e-cigarettes available. E-smoking in children is a worrying development, because a significant percentage of children start with e-cigarettes, which has its own problems.

Strengthening of the Interruption Clinics with the participation of the Primary Health Care Center – The Mobile Units are also in the program

2. We are going to immediately operate a free four-digit Helpline, known to the world since the covid era. The line will have psychologists who will give one or two sessions to people who want to stop smoking and then refer them to Stop Smoking Clinics.

3. The Smoking Cessation Clinics that were started at the initiative of the Hellenic Pulmonology Society in 2006 and at the moment there are 32 throughout the country, we want to strengthen them, logistically, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, through an NSRF program. As a result, others will be created in hospitals, but the PHY will be strengthened separately, with a special training program for health professionals. Targeted information campaigns will also be carried out through the same NSRF. For these we will work with medical associations, agencies, but also opinion makers, which in this case are the doctors, in whom we want to increase smoking cessation, as they are standards, as we also saw in the covid vaccination. COMYs are also included in the smoking reduction program. The mobile units of EODY, known for covid testing, are changing their mode of operation and will also provide prevention services in remote areas.

4. We will train the experts how to convince children, but also adults to stop the smoking habit. For example, other tools are used by pediatricians to convince children not to start smoking, and other tools are used by cardiologists to convince a heart attack patient to stop smoking.

5. We have reactivated a committee of experts, which already directs all actions and creates a concrete strategy, which concerns everything we said today.” In Greece, we often act in the short term. But we need to make a long-term strategy and say that in five years we want to reduce the initiation of smoking among children by 4% and increase the percentage of the population that stops smoking by 10%, concludes the president of EODY Professor Christos Hatzichristodoulou.