Key Points

• In 2018, 1,638 people registered for Smoke-Free Month in Réunion, a 70% increase from the previous year. They accounted for 60.6% of registrants in the French overseas departments and regions (DROM) and 1.1% of daily smokers in Réunion, a proportion lower than that of metropolitan France (1.9%).

• In 2018, amid the social crisis of the Yellow Vests movement, the SAOMÉ association documented 46 initiatives in Réunion, primarily focused on information about smoking, smoking cessation, and support for quitting. Greater ownership of the initiative by partners and stronger involvement were observed during the 2018 edition of Tobacco-Free Month, along with improved professional skills and robust networking efforts through the development of new partnerships.

• In 2015, the number of deaths attributable to tobacco was estimated at 526 in Réunion, representing 11.6% of all deaths in the region—a proportion lower than the 13% estimated for France as a whole (77,154 deaths attributable to smoking).

• In 2015 in Réunion, the proportion of deaths attributable to smoking was higher among men (17.8%) than among women (4.3%), proportions higher than those in other overseas departments and regions (DROMs) and lower than that for France as a whole. The proportion of deaths was higher among those under 65 (13%) than among those over 65 (11%).

• In 2015 in Réunion, the most common causes of deaths attributable to smoking were cancers and cardiovascular diseases, accounting for 56.2% and 24.6% of annual deaths attributable to tobacco, respectively.