More than scare tactics needed to help smokers quit, UAE doctor warns

A cardiology specialist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has called for more specialist smoking cessation centres to be established.

DUBAI // Scare tactics on the dangers of tobacco may not be enough to help smokers quit, a top doctor has said.
Despite estimates showing that 175 million people will die from tobacco-related illnesses between now and 2030, Dr Abdul Razzak Alkaddour, the head of preventative cardiology and rehabilitation at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, said new approaches were required.
He called for more specialist smoking cessation centres to be established.
"We need to change the way that we help smokers as scare tactics do not always work," the doctor said.
"Smoking reduces the lifespan by 12 to 14 years but there are just nine countries, about five per cent of the global population, that has access to smoking cessation centres."
Second-hand smoke is also predicted to cause an estimated 603,000 further premature deaths until 2030, with between 50 and 60 per cent dying of cancer, cardiovascular disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dr Alkaddour is also calling for more education and specialist support to encourage smokers to quit.
"Within a few weeks of giving up smoking, lung function will improve and the taste and smell sensations return to normal," he said.
Evidence shows smokers work fewer hours than non-smokers, due to the repeated cigarette breaks taken during the working day, but Dr Alkaddour stopped short of condoning policies sometimes enforced in the private sector, where "smoker free" businesses force employees to give up cigarettes after six months.
"This is a harsh policy to enforce in this part of the world," he said.
"It is very hard to quit; you cannot deny smokers employment when they are trying to deal with what is an illness."
But Ali Muneer Mohamed Al Rahma, a health educator at Dubai Health Authority, said the controversial ban on e-cigarettes is likely to continue until more research on their safety is completed.
"There are all types of diseases that have been linked to e-cigarettes, such as pneumonia, so they are unproven," he said.
"They are not recommended yet, so it cannot be used for treatment to help smokers.
"It is possible they could be trialled in future, it is a grey area and a lot of research is still needed."
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