Dutch rank lowest on Tobacco Awareness in recent ITC study

Reporting by Jamahl Hokstam The Dutch are the least informed and least concerned about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke. This is according to a recent study by the Tobacco Control Evaluation Project, known as the ITC Project, conducted at Waterloo University and led by Professor Geoffrey. The study showed that the majority Dutch smokers are unconcerned about the effects of smoking on themselves and those around them. They often times don’t think about the long lasting effects such as heart disease, lung cancer and stroke. The Netherlands has the lowest percentage of people who think about the harmful effects of smoking, compared to the other 22 countries that took part in the study. In fact, only 22% of Dutch smokers even considered the effects and only 9% was concerned about the effects their habits have on others. Despite the Netherlands signing the World Health Organization treaty on tobacco control in 2005, which obligated the country to reduce the amount of smokers, only 21% of Dutch smokers currently have a negative attitude towards smoking. The ITC project is an collaborative effort involving 100 tobacco control researchers and 22 Tobacco researchers from 22 countries across the globe. These researchers have joined forces to conduct surveys which are designed to measure the impacts and the effects of tobacco. The ITC is responsible for the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world's first health treaty. Policies that stemmed from this convention include more prominent warning labels, comprehensive smoking bans, restrictions or bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, higher taxes on tobacco products and the removal of potentially deceptive labeling