Current panorama of tobacco consumption and control measures in Mexico

Abstract

This article is aimed to analyze the current situation of the tobacco epidemic in Mexico as well as progress in the struggle against tobacco. Mexico was the first country in the Americas to ratify the framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC). Currently, 36% of men over 18 are smokers and among women there is a prevalence of 13%. Besides this, 26% of the population is exposed to tobacco smoke from other smokers in the home. These figures vary slightly according to the source, and the definition used for smoker. Among adolescents, the initiation of tobacco consumption tends constantly towards an earlier age and no differences exist between men and women. In both cases, 19% had smoked in the month previous to the application of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey and 46% cohabit with other smokers. Among the principal challenges faced is the need to limit the access of minors to tobacco, as 37% of adolescent smokers buy cigarettes in the shops and 62% were not denied the purchase, because they were under age. Mortality attributable to tobacco in Mexico is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Recently, a conservative estimate calculated that 25,383 deaths occur annually among those over 35 years of age, related to causes attributable to tobacco consumption.