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** 08 April 2020
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** UK
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** Coronavirus hits men harder. Here's what scientists know about it (#1)

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** International
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** Tobacco is the main factor in non-communicable diseases (#2)

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** UK
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**

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** Writing in the Guardian, Philip Ball examines the reasons behind the high rates of death from coronavirus (Covid-19) among men.

“It’s no secret that males are in many respects the frailer sex. On average, men die younger and are at more risk of life-threatening ailments, especially heart disease and many forms of cancer. In all six of the countries that, up to 20 March, had sex-specific records of deaths from Covid-19, the proportion of men was higher than women. For four of those (China, France, Italy and South Korea), male mortality rates were more than 50% greater than female rates.

“We don’t know why – but it doesn’t necessarily reflect differences in biology. Covid-19 is more dangerous for people with existing health issues, particularly cardiovascular or pulmonary (lung-obstructing) problems or hypertension – and these are all conditions that disproportionately affect men.

“Part of the reason for that is behavioural: on average, men are more likely to engage in more health-damaging behaviours such as smoking and drinking. Smoking is particularly suspected to cause the higher risk in men: in South Korea, where the ratio of male to female Covid-19 deaths is close to 2:1, the male smoking rate is the highest of all OECD countries, while the female smoking rate is the lowest.

“Many societies insist on portraying men as the “stronger sex” to whom seeking medical help is a sign of weakness – until suddenly it’s too late. Cigarette marketing, at least until the 1980s, targeted men with stereotypes of the rugged, independent male. Today, smoking is seen in China and other Asian countries not just as masculine but as an almost essential aspect of business relations and male bonding.

“And although health conditions fall more heavily on men, they are also less likely to do anything about it than women, who are considerably more likely to seek healthcare advice. The sex differences in susceptibility to Covid-19, then, are a reminder of issues we have long known about but are failing to address.”

Source: The Guardian, 7 April 2020
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** International
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**

Writing on SciDev.Net, Mafoya Dossoumon, Communications Manager at the Framework Convention Alliance, argues that greater international coordination is needed to reduce the global burden of disease resulting from tobacco use.

“While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic dominates headlines and officials race to slow the spread of the virus, the issue of tobacco use is sadly relegated to the sidelines even as it remains a public health challenge. The number of annual deaths from tobacco-related diseases now stands at eight million, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“Moreover, the burden from tobacco use extends beyond health and undermines the social and economic development of nations. Consider how the global economic cost of smoking was estimated to have been US$1.4 trillion in 2012 and how low and middle-income countries shouldered 40% of the cost.

“Progress on the global epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will depend on tried and tested solutions such as WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world’s first public health treaty and which came to effect in 2005. A high proportion of premature deaths from NCDs is caused by one single preventable risk factor — tobacco use. If governments are to make progress on non-communicable diseases prevention, they will need to reduce tobacco use.

“The number of tobacco smokers is projected to remain at around 1.1 billion until at least 2025, with 80% of the world’s smokers living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). According to the WHO, the numbers of smokers is “continuing to grow in the African, Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asian regions”.

“One bright spot is that many lower- and middle-income countries, with support from civil society organisations, philanthropic organisations, international and funding agencies are taking action on price and tax measures aimed at decreasing tobacco use. More could be done by the international community to increase the percentage of Development Assistance for Health allocated to tobacco control in low and middle-income countries. The way forward is to quicken the pace and broaden the scale at which governments implement the FCTC.”

Source: SciDev.Net, 6 April 2020
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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