Christos Tsagkaris

Switzerland

Coming together for a Tobacco-free generation: Lessons from the ECToH 2023’s Youth Committee

Christos Tsagkaris 1, Beatriz Arranz 1 2, Yakup Gozderesi1, Wendy Yared 1, Rui Medeiros 1 3, José María Martín-Moreno 4 and ECTOH 2023 Youth Committee

1Association of European Cancer Leagues, Brussels, Belgium tsagkarisc@gmail.com.
2AECC Spanish Association Against Cancer, Madrid, Spain.
3Research Center of IPO Porto, Porto, Portugal.
4Universitat de Valencia Facultat de Medicina i Odontologia, Valencia, Spain.

Abstract

Tobacco use is a major global health concern with significant mortality rates and economic costs. Approximately 8 million people, direct as well as passive smokers, die prematurely each year due to tobacco use. In contrast, the total financial cost of health expenditures and productivity losses associated with tobacco use is estimated at US$ 1.4 trillion per year. The Madrid 2023 Declaration ‘For a Tobacco-Free Generation’ outlines a vision for creating a tobacco-free generation in Europe. It calls for the active involvement of individuals (particularly young people), institutions, companies, health professionals, media, experts, civil society, and policymakers to work towards this goal. The declaration was launched during the European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECTOH) 2023, the flagship biannual event of the tobacco control community in Europe in April 2023. This hot doc presentation highlights the Youth Committee of the 2023 European Conference on Tobacco or Health as an example of youth involvement in a major public health conference focused on tobacco control. The authors explore the benefits, practicalities and challenges of incorporating young professionals into conference workflow, including creativity, networking and engagement with broader public health challenges within their communities. The active participation of Youth Committees in public health fora as a model for future conferences needs to be scaled up and across efforts to tackle tobacco and substance use and further pertinent public health challenges.