Smokers still largely unaware of heart disease risks

A new study covering 46 countries found significant gaps in awareness about smoking and second-hand smoke

Monday, August 24, 2026

An international study has found that despite two decades of global tobacco control efforts, the message still is not getting through to enough smokers that smoking and second-hand smoke cause heart attack and stroke. 

Researchers at the University of Waterloo and the Global Tobacco Control Program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted the study, which is the largest of its kind.  

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death worldwide. Up to two-thirds of people who smoke throughout their lives die from a smoking-caused disease, and lose more than a decade of life, on average.

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