Position Statements 2006 [Tobacco Use and Health]

The epidemic of tobacco use poses a serious public health threat, yet measures to control its use are tragically inadequate.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is committed to:

A total ban on tobacco use.
Preventing and eliminating tobacco use by nurses and nursing students.
Implementing a smoke-free policy within ICN, including encouraging National Nurses Associations (NNAs) to adopt a smoke free policy for their premises, meetings and other events.
Working with other international governmental and non-governmental organisations, and health professions’ organisations to combat the tobacco epidemic.
Working with NNAs to support implementation of the WHO Frame Work Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

ICN encourages member associations to co-ordinate their efforts with other national groups to bring government and public attention to the negative health effects of tobacco and to encourage governments to reduce, discourage and eradicate tobacco use. More specifically, ICN advocates the following national actions:

Lobbying for policies that ban tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and that support prominent warnings on all tobacco products.
Working with governments to introduce legislative and fiscal measures, such as higher taxes on tobacco products.
Supporting a smoking ban in public places, and creating smoke free schools, sports, workplaces, air travel, restaurants, and other public spaces.
Participating in public education/information campaigns, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as youth.
Supporting incentives to tobacco farmers to switch to other crops.
Encouraging nurses to become smoke free role models by offering cessation programmes to nurses who use tobacco.
Encouraging nurses to integrate tobacco use prevention and cessation as part of their regular nursing practice.
Working to integrate tobacco and smoking information into all levels of nursing curricula.
Identifying actions to support hospitalised patients who normally use tobacco and are confined in a non-smoking environment.

Global tobacco use has increased steadily, and the cost in preventable deaths approaches 5 million people a year and is expected to rise to 10 million by the year 2020. The nurses who continue to smoke and the increasing tobacco use by young women are growing concerns.

The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses[1] states that health promotion and illness prevention are among the fundamental responsibilities of the nurse. Additionally the nurse shares with other citizens the responsibility for initiating and supporting action to meet the health and social needs of the public.

Health problems caused by tobacco use are highly preventable. Health promotion and disease prevention related to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control must be strengthened and nurses are well suited for its implementation. As well, nurses and NNAs should be involved in tobacco-related research and in its dissemination.

[1] International Council of Nurses (ICN), Code of Ethics for Nurses, revised 2005.