Resumen

SUAREZ LUGO, Nery. Paradoxes, controversies, speeches and realities of smoking in Cuba. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2011, vol.37, n.1. ISSN 0864-3466.

Knowing the smoking epidemics and its progression must be the starting point of the prevention and control programs. In Cuba, there is wide knowledge of the dimension of the problem and also a National Smoking Prevention and Control Program that is comprehensive, systematic, interdisciplinary and intersectoral; however, the implementation of this program does not agree with what must be achieved in terms of the population's health. The causes are known, but one must focus on the paradoxes and controversies around smoking in Cuba for their analysis, which results in the existing gap between the speech and the reality. The fact that Cuba is a tobacco producer, the deep-rooted smoking habit and linking to the daily, cultural and political life make the Cubans think that the Cuban people is a population of smokers; hence, the social acceptance of smoking goes against the implementation of control measures, even though they are well defined in the public policies. The Cuban public health faces a significant challenge because the present situation compared to that of other countries demands that we must be full responsible for the documented policy and strategy, to make them agree with the everyday work at all levels of the national healthcare system and attain the intended integration and integrality.

Palabras clave : Smoking; epidemics; prevalence; consumption.

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