Key Points

In 2017:

• the standardized prevalence of daily smoking in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region stood at 32.2% among 18- to 75-year-olds and was significantly higher than the national average (26.9%, mainland France).

• The prevalence of daily smoking in the PACA region among 18- to 75-year-olds remained stable compared to 2016, while it declined nationally.

• The prevalence of daily smoking in the PACA region among 17-year-olds was 26%, close to the French average.

• The proportion of people reporting daily vaping in PACA was 3.5%, close to the French average.

• 57.6% [52.1–62.9] of daily smokers reported wanting to quit smoking. Among daily smokers, 28.2% [23.5–33.5] had made an attempt to quit for at least one week during the past 12 months (compared with 26.3% [25.0–27.7] in mainland France, p=0.40).

In the PACA region for the period 2007–2016, the age-standardized annual incidence rate per 100,000 person-years for lung cancer was 19.4 among women (significantly higher than the national average) and 50.8 among men (not different from the national average).

In the PACA region for the period 2007–2014, the age-standardized annual mortality rate per 100,000 person-years for lung cancer was 11.2 among women (significantly higher than the national average) and 36.6 among men (significantly lower than the national average).

Key tobacco prevention initiatives in 2018:

• The Regional Tobacco Reduction Plan (P2RT), a comprehensive, evolving, and unifying strategy centered around three priorities: protecting young people and preventing them from taking up smoking, helping smokers quit, and reducing health inequalities.

• An annual call for projects with 17 projects selected for €1.8 million in funding, notably supporting healthcare facilities in implementing a “Smoke-Free Healthcare Settings” initiative.

• The annual “Smoke-Free Month” event was a success in 2017, with a 57% increase in the number of participants.