| Summary: | Background
Taking care of public health requires the implementation of all strategies that will improve the health of society. Previous research has mainly focused on the analysis of the effects of smoking. However, recent findings suggest that a lack of physical activity may be worse than smoking and obesity.
Methods
Publicly available data was collected from the Polish Central Statistical Office, the National Cancer Registry, and the National Food and Nutrition Institute. The incidence and mortality rates, BMI, and smoking prevalence were used.
Results
In Poland, 9 million people smoke. It is estimated that in Poland 42% of men and 5% of women die prematurely (at the age of 35-69) of smoking. Currently, lung cancer is indicator disease for tobacco smoking and in Poland, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both sexes (29.3%, 17.1% respectively) with a tobacco-attributable fraction of 93%.
More than half of the adult population is overweight and about 20% obese. Excessive body weight occurs in 15-20% of children and adolescents.
Conclusions
In the Polish population, complications and diseases caused by smoking are still a bigger problem than those associated with a lack of physical activity. Following the recommendations of the European Code Against Cancer, it is necessary to add the recommendation to increase physical activity to the anti-tobacco campaigns. Research shows that physically active people are less likely to smoke. Increasing physical activity among the population may favor tobacco control.
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