Only half of women who smoke quit during pregnancy
Health calculates that there are about 5,000 fetuses exposed each year to the harmful effects of tobacco in Catalonia
BarcelonaSmoking during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth and, when born, newborns exposed to nicotine are more likely to suffer respiratory problems and delays in cognitive development, among other complications. In severe cases, there may even be a miscarriage or sudden infant death. Although the adverse effects are widely known, half of women who smoke do not quit when they become pregnant, according to data from the Survey of Health of Catalonia (ESCA), published this Wednesday by the Department of Health.
The health authorities of Catalonia warn that about 5,000 fetuses are exposed to this scourge each year. To reverse this situation, health centers offer free tobacco cessation treatments to women within the pregnancy monitoring program. These therapies, which began to be financed through Social Security in 2023, achieve that one in three smokers quit and almost 250,000 Catalans have requested them through their primary care physician since then.
However, the number of smokers in Catalonia has remained stagnant since 2017 and one in five people over 15 years of age consumes tobacco, that is, 1.5 million people. By gender, they are 25.3% of men and 16.1% of women. While this is the lowest figure in recent years, the prevalence of smoking is practically the same in the last decade. The Secretary of Public Health, Esteve Fernández, has acknowledged that more forceful measures are needed to reduce the number of smokers, as well as to focus on new forms of smoking, such as vapes, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches.
In fact, there has been a clear trend of decreasing smoking among young people, who, on the other hand, show an increase in the consumption of these new products, which Fernández describes as a "gateway" to nicotine addiction. The coordinator of the Tobacco Group of the Catalan Society of Family and Community Medicine (CAMFiC), Joan Lozano, has warned that the tobacco industry is succeeding with its "lies and advertising campaigns aimed at adolescents and young people" in conveying a message to the population that these products are harmless, that they do not harm health, and has insisted that this perspective must be changed. Recently, in fact, the first case in Spain of severe hemorrhagic pneumonia due to vaping in a young Catalan woman has been diagnosed.
Prohibiting smoking on terraces
Fernández explained that they are closely following the draft law that expands smoke-free areas, such as bar and restaurant terraces, cars, and public parks, which has not yet reached the Congress of Deputies to debate whether it will be approved or not and how. One of the key points of the rule promoted by the Spanish government is that it includes new forms of smoking that are not currently regulated, and prohibits single-use electronic cigarettes. It also provides for a ban on advertising them, as they are currently sold as very flashy and very tempting products with striking colors and attractive flavors for young people, according to the Secretary of Public Health.
In fact, the draft of the new law equates these products to tobacco and they will have the same prohibitions, a measure that scientific societies and experts have long been demanding. Once approved, manufacturers will have one year to adapt their products to the new law and to deplete stocks of single-use electronic cigarettes. It should be noted that one in five residents in Spain (20%) has smoked electronic cigarettes or vapes, especially in the 15 to 24 age group, according to the latest biennial survey on alcohol, drugs and addictions (2024).
Health has registered a total of 131 complaints for non-compliance with tobacco regulations, as well as 7,592 inspections, and 140 cases have been opened which have resulted in 139 sanctions, mostly for errors in signage. Fernández explained that Health has worked to standardize sanctions in Catalonia, and that, by the end of the year, it plans an intensification of inspections to reinforce compliance with laws regulating tobacco and, especially, sales to minors.
On the other hand, neutral packaging has not ultimately been included in the draft law. The objective was for all brands to have the same appearance and thus be less attractive to buyers, as is already done in other countries.