The significance of preventive medicine in controlling non-communicable diseases

For the health sector, risk factor control is the most effective and also the most important measure to prevent and control non-communicable diseases.

Tobacco use is among the top behavioral risk factors that need to be controlled, as 18,800 out of every 100,000 deaths are related to exposure to tobacco smoke in Vietnam each year.

Therefore, applying preventive medicine to establish measures to prevent tobacco risk factors and strictly control the supply is a modern approach in protecting public health.

New approaches to tobacco harm prevention and cessation

Professor, Doctor, Physician Dang Van Phuoc, Honorary Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Health Sciences (former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Chairman of the Council of Professors of Medicine, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Cardiovascular Association) said that medicine has 3 main trends.

One is diagnosis and treatment of disease, which is the main focus. Two is rehabilitation, which guides further treatment of disease. Three is preventive medicine, which prevents disease from breaking out or causing serious consequences.

Professor Phuoc emphasized the importance of preventive medicine is to focus on a very large population, with the majority of subjects being of working age. In the past 30-40 years, world medicine has focused on detecting risk factors that can cause disease.

If these risks can be detected and intervened early, it will have a very positive impact on preventing disease outbreaks and reducing the burden on the health sector.

Therefore, Professor Phuoc emphasized the role of preventive medicine in limiting risk factors. In controlling the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on human health, he also mentioned methods to minimize the consequences of diseases caused by cigarettes.

Specifically, when it comes to the harmful effects of tobacco, nicotine is often associated with health risks. However, this is only the addictive component of tobacco, 93 out of 6,000 impurities in cigarette smoke due to combustion are the main culprits causing serious diseases such as COPD, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc. Therefore, Professor Phuoc believes that understanding the role of nicotine will open up a more effective approach to helping smokers quit smoking.

Accordingly, some countries in the world such as the UK and the Philippines are currently applying intermediate cessation measures such as switching to nicotine replacement drugs (NRT) such as patches, nicotine lozenges, or scientifically tested non-combustible tobacco products...

The common point of these measures is to eliminate the combustion process that creates smoke, thereby reducing the risk from cigarette smoke. Then, combined with the will, understanding of the smoker as well as the communication process to help users move towards the ultimate goal of completely quitting smoking.

This is similar to not having to prevent diabetes, high blood fat, and excess protein by completely not eating sugar, fat, and protein. Therefore, in addition to the problem of detecting and managing the disease, the problem of managing, educating, and adjusting all risk factors becomes a very important factor to have an impact on behavior and consumer habits.

Comprehensive preventive medicine by closely monitoring supplies

In Vietnam, preventive medicine is applied to limit the harmful effects of tobacco through the promulgation and implementation of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms (2012), banning advertising, promotion, raising awareness, increasing taxes... However, the spread of new tobacco from the black market is posing a difficult problem for authorities, even though the Resolution on the ban has been issued.

Therefore, the authorities should not only stop at reducing the risk of disease caused by cigarette smoke and supporting sustainable cessation, the strategy of tobacco control through preventive medicine needs to be expanded to market management, to prevent risks from smuggled tobacco products.

Around the world, countries are increasingly changing the way they manage tobacco markets, shifting from controlling consumer behavior to closely monitoring the quality of supply, or shifting tobacco control policies from pre-control to post-control, focusing on post-circulation monitoring instead of imposing barriers from the beginning.

E-cigarette use among young Americans is on a sharp decline. (Source: FDA)

Specifically, in 2019, the US CDC recorded many cases of EVALI (e-cigarette-associated lung injury) due to the use of contraband containing cannabis oil. In response, the US FDA tightened the product evaluation process, banned the mixing of banned substances, and stepped up propaganda about the risks of contraband. Thanks to that, after only 1 year, the US did not detect any new cases of EVALI.

Recently, the FDA also announced a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) on March 14, showing that the efforts of the country's health sector have helped reduce the rate of e-cigarette use among young people by nearly 70% compared to 2019, now reaching the lowest level in the past 25 years.

Thus, preventive medicine not only plays a role in limiting the harmful effects of tobacco on health, but also helps control the market, prevent smuggling, raise awareness and create sustainable solutions.

As the fight against tobacco continues, a comprehensive prevention policy will be key to protecting public health and reducing future health burdens./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/y-nghia-cua-y-te-du-phong-trong-kiem-soat-cac-benh-khong-lay-nhiem-post1026630.vnp