ARCHIVED - Region of Murcia has the second highest number of smokers in the whole of Spain
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
There are more than 50,000 smoking-related deaths in Spain every year
Almost eight million people smoke on a daily basis in Spain, according to a survey carried out by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), and almost one million are what are known as ‘social smokers’, either sparking up at weekends or when out with friends.
On the flip side, the same number of habitual smokers have actually kicked the habit which accounts for around 50,000 deaths every year in Spain.
And a regional breakdown of those surveyed shows that the highest number of smokers live in Extremadura, closely followed by the Region of Murcia and Andalucía. Autonomous communities with the lowest number of people who admit to being addicted to nicotine are Melilla, the Basque Country and Madrid.
The age group with the highest concentration of male smokers is 25 to 34 years of age, and 45 to 54 years of age in women.
The AECC survey also highlights the fact that tobacco consumption amongst people from "lower social strata" is almost double that of more affluent social communities, and daily exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces amongst lower income people is almost three times higher, "which implies a significantly high risk of developing lung cancer, amongst other conditions".
In terms of employment, 23% of workers in the primary sector smoke, almost twice as many as those in the 'directors, managers and professionals category' or those who have university degree-level education (12.56%).
More than half of smokers (54%) reported smoking "a lot or quite a lot" in the presence of minors whilst on open terraces or in the street. Nearly 40% also smoke inside the home in front of children, and one in four smoke in their cars.
Two thousand parents with young children were surveyed by the AECC as part of the study to assess the risks associated with tobacco smoke, and were asked whether their opinion on Spain's anti-smoking law, which envisages banning smoking on the terraces of bars and restaurants, in sports stadiums, and in parks and beaches.
And 86% of those interviewed said it was a "good or very good" initiative.
Even amongst smokers, two out of three rated it positively or very positively.
According to the survey, 70% of the population agrees that "thought should be given to the health of passive smokers", 63% are concerned about the polluting effect of cigarette butts on beaches and 58% directly support the fact that the public administration wants to increase the number of smoke-free areas.
Two out of three people rate the creation of these new smoke-free areas very positively (nine or 10 out of 10), although the percentage drops to one out of three in the case of smokers.
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