World No Tobacco Day, May 31th 2025 Unmasking the appeal!| Tabaccologia

Article

On 31 May, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed globally—an initiative promoted annually by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the harms caused by tobacco use and the commercial strategies of the tobacco industry. The theme for 2025 is: “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products” [1].

This year’s campaign aims to expose how the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to market addiction as an appealing product, especially targeting young people. One of today’s most urgent public health challenges is the persistent appeal of tobacco, nicotine, and related products among adolescents and youth. Through the addition of flavours, sweeteners, and agents that enhance taste, smell, and appearance, these products are made more pleasant and less repellent—facilitating initiation and reinforcing dependence [2].

The most common tactics used by the tobacco industry include:

1. Glamorous marketing – carefully crafted packaging, vibrant colours, and trendy flavours are designed to capture attention, especially on social media and among younger audiences.
2. Deceptive product design – some devices resemble sweets, snacks, or toys, making them look harmless and familiar to children.
3. Coolants and additives – these substances make inhalation smoother and less irritating, increasing the likelihood of continued use and making quitting harder.

These strategies contribute to early initiation of smoking or nicotine use, with serious long-term consequences for health. By making their products more attractive, the industry not only expands its immediate consumer base but also increases the difficulty of quitting, prolonging exposure to harmful substances and raising the risk of chronic diseases.

The use of nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and nicotine pouches is rising rapidly among youth. In the WHO European Region, an estimated 12.5% of adolescents have used e-cigarettes, compared to only 2% of adults. In some countries, use among school-aged children is two to three times higher than cigarette smoking – an alarming trend that calls for immediate action.

Although Italy has a national ban on the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products to minors, the country is facing a true adolescent nicotine emergency.

Data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) – a surveillance system targeting 13–15-year-olds in 75 countries – show that in 2019, more than half of Italian adolescents (55%) had tried e-cigarettes at least once, placing Italy first worldwide [3]. Current use of e-cigarettes also increased from 18% in 2018 to 20% in 2022 [4].

Once addicted to nicotine, young people often shift from e-cigarettes to also smoking conventional cigarettes. It is no coincidence that Italy has the highest prevalence of 16-year-old cigarette smokers among European countries. This was highlighted by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), which involves nearly 100,000 16-year-old students across 35 countries. In Italy, nearly one in three (32%) smokes conventional cigarettes [5]. Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are also widespread: 23% of Italian youth have tried them and 14% were using them in 2022 [4].

According to 2022 data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveillance system, adolescent girls are the most frequent users of nicotine-containing products in Italy [6].

The 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign has three main goals [1]:

1. Raise awareness about how the industry manipulates the design and appeal of tobacco and nicotine products.
2. Advocate for stronger policies, including bans on flavours and additives, comprehensive bans on advertising (including digital platforms), and regulation of product and packaging design to limit appeal.
3. Reduce demand, particularly among young people, by revealing the strategies that fuel addiction and by promoting a nicotine- and smoke-free environment.

These issues will be addressed, by way of example, in the awareness-raising event “The Smoke Behind the Smoke... Hidden Truths from the Tobacco Industry,” organized in Rome by the CAF of Policlinico Umberto I (head Dr. Maria Teresa Leporini) and UNITAB - Tabaccology Unit of Sapienza University (head Prof. Maria Sofia Cattaruzza).

Unmasking these tactics means exposing addiction for what it is: a product created and marketed for profit. It is a necessary step to protect the health of current and future generations.

References

1. World Health Organization (WHO). World No Tobacco Day: Unmasking the appeal.Publisher Full Text
2. Ackary SJ, Cabrera PJDL, Santiago AJA, Amul GGH. Examining the flavor descriptors of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches in the Philippines: regulatory challenges and opportunities. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025; 5:e0004248. DOI
3. Sreeramareddy CT, Acharya K, Manoharan A. Electronic cigarettes use and ‘dual use’ among the youth in 75 countries: estimates from Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (2014-2019). Sci Rep. 2022; 12:20967. DOI
4. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. EpiCentro – L’epidemiologia per la sanità pubblica. Sistema di sorveglianza Gyts. GYTS 2022: i dati nazionali. 2023. Publisher Full Text
5. Cerrai S, Benedetti E, Colasante E, Scalese M, Gorini G, Gallus S. E-cigarette use and conventional cigarette smoking among European students: findings from the 2019 ESPAD survey. Addiction. 2022; 117:2918-32. DOI
6. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. EpiCentro – L’epidemiologia per la sanità pubblica. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children. Indagine 2022 – Fumo.Publisher Full Text