Present status and future perspectives on the tobacco and nicotine epidemic with a focus on men: a narrative review

Abstract

Tobacco smoking is one of the main factors of disease burden worldwide. This narrative review presents an overview of this burden, focusing primarily on men. We also discuss the prevention strategies that have been implemented to address this issue, including tobacco control policies, steming mainly from the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, as well as lung cancer screening programmes. Additionally, we comment on how the tobacco epidemic has given rise to the widespread use of nicotine due to the popularisation of novel nicotine and tobacco-related products, including electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches.