[The global smoking prevention programme of Braga]

In spite of its negative impacts on health, in the society, in the economy and in the environment, smoking is a behaviour spread national and internationally. The data collected in 1999 by the Health National Inquire about smoking prevalence in people from 15 and over, in Portugal mainland, show that 29.3% of men and around 7.9% of women were daily smokers, which means a total of 1,626,597 smokers (1,248,212 men and 378,385 women). If we analyse the data from other sources (Health National Inquires and Eurobarometer) we can see that the tobacco epidemy is growing among both gender but in a particulary alarming way in the female group. It is necessary and urgent to take some primary prevention measures especially addressed to young people and women and at the same time give all the smokers the chance of treatment. Bearing in mind the idea of the Ecologist Movement "thinking globally, acting locally" we defend the implementation of global but local actions as the best approach to control smoking. In this article we describe the state and the trends of smoking in Portugal as well as The Global Prevention Programme of Tobacco Consumption in Braga (North of Portugal). This action plan is intended to solve in a decisive way the tobacco consumption in Braga and at the same time to be taken as an example for the elaboration of a National Plan for Prevention the Tobacco Consumption.