Health professionals and prevention and control of smoking

Tobacco consumption is one of the leading preventable causes of illness and death in the world so the health professionals have a remarkable role in its prevention and control. Medicine and nursing schools must evaluate the training in this subject in the basic curriculum, as well as provide habit cessation aide to smoker students. The result will be physicians and nurses committed to actively participate against tobacco smoking, accomplishing the model role society demands from them. A revision of global and national scope on the problem of tobacco addiction in the general population and among doctors and nurses (professional and students) is presented as well as the anti-tobacco policies issued by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Social Protection of Colombia. Finally, a reflection is proposed about the question if health professionals are being well trained to face this epidemic.