A total of 1320 consultations to support smoking cessation were carried out in 2015, in the primary health care units of the three Health Center Groups in its area of influence (ACES Barlavento, ACES Central and ACES Sotavento), in the Intervention Division in the Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (DICAD) in Olhão and in the hospital unit of Faro Hospital Center of the Algarve, announced today the Regional Health Administration (ARS) of the Algarve.
According to the ARS, this number represents an increase of 376% compared to 2012. Of these 1320 consultations, 964 were made at the Health Centers, 61 at DICAD-Olhão and 295 at the hospital unit in Faro.
This increase in the number of consultations is due, on the one hand, "to the commitment to training in Intensive Intervention in Smoking Cessation of health professionals from ACES and DICAD, which allowed the creation of more intensive support teams in smoking cessation, and on the other side to the greater awareness of the population of health problems that the act of smoking can cause», explains the ARS.
There are currently 10 teams distributed among the three ACES, one team at DICAD-Olhão and two teams at the hospital unit in Faro of the Hospital Center of the Algarve.
These intensive smoking cessation support teams in activity in the Health Centers are always composed of a doctor and a nurse, whenever possible also a psychologist, and in case of need they have the support of other professionals, such as a nutritionist/ dietitian and oral hygienist.
Special attention has also been given to promoting health and preventing tobacco consumption among school-age children and young people and pregnant women, with activities to promote healthy lifestyles and awareness actions, encouraging the involvement of civil society to contribute to the increase of smoke-free environments.
The work carried out by the School Health teams and the public health units of the ACES has allowed the implementation and support of local projects for health promotion and smoking prevention in the school community and awareness-raising actions for compliance with the Tobacco Law in the food and beverage establishments located near schools. Last year alone, 78 establishments in the region were covered.
Pathologies related to respiratory function are one of the main causes of chronic morbidity, loss of quality of life and mortality, and, simultaneously, are responsible for a high frequency of medical appointments, emergency room visits and a high hospital stay.
The role of family health teams is therefore increasingly crucial, not only because of the attention given to prevention and closer monitoring of their users, but also because they contribute to a more accurate early diagnosis and thus manage to reduce the impact respiratory, cerebrovascular and oncological diseases in people's quality of life.
This represents, in the medium term, significant gains in health, by reducing the prevalence of these diseases in which smoking is a recognized risk factor, halting the increase in the prevalence of many of these pathologies and reducing the economic, individual and social costs for them. associates.
Precisely to mark the World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated on May 31, the Regional Coordination Team of the National Program for the Prevention and Control of Tobacco Use of the ARS Algarve launched the challenge «Free yourself from tobacco. Move yourself!".
For this, the team joins Grupo das Corridas on Friday and invites everyone to participate, next Friday, June 6, at 3:20, in the race/walk that takes place in Vila Real de Santo António. Participation is free and aims to promote healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles.
The run/walk has a meeting point in the parking lot of the Vila Real de Santo António athletics track.
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