UPV/EHU's Álava campus has become the first smoke-free university area

The UPV/EHU Álava campus of the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea has become the first university area to join the Network of Smoke-free Spaces, created by the Basque Government in 2021 in collaboration with the Member States and municipalities of the Basque Country.

Representatives of these organizations presented an awareness campaign this Wednesday at a press conference on campus. Among the activities prepared is a large mural summarizing the purpose of the initiative, under the slogan "On campus, better without smoke. Let's set an example." The Cancer Association will also set up information tables for several days and in faculties.

The Minister of Healthof the Basque Government, Alberto Martínez, the Vice-Rector of the Álava campus, Ixone Fernandez de Labastida, the Councillor of Sports, Health and Development Cooperation of the City of Vitoria, Ana Lopez de Uralde, and the Vice-President of the Alavesa Association against Cancer, Gorka Orive, have participated.

The Health Adviser has welcomed the fact that the Network of Smoke-free Areas has experienced 'significant quantitative and qualitative growth' in such a short period of time and has therefore been regarded as a thermometer of cultural change around smoking. In this regard, he recalled that tobacco consumption in the Basque Country has been gradually falling since 2010.

However, he has stressed his concern about the increasing consumption of unconventional products (vapers, electronic cigarettes) that are advertised as harmless but pose serious health risks, as they are spreading significantly among young people and can often be a gateway to smoking.

For her part, the Vice-Rector of the Álava campus , Ixone Fernandez de Labastida, has stressed that the campus is not just any area, but a privileged place for this type of initiative. "Most of our community are young people, which also requires a special responsibility as an institution and community. Students have the right to learn and relate in a healthy space."

Basque Network of Smoke-free Spaces

The Smoke-free Areas Network was launched in 2021with the aim of preventing the start of consumption of derivatives such as tobacco and vaporizers, eliminating exposure to other people's smoke or aerosol, especially in minors, and preventing contamination by butts and other residues of tobacco products.

Within the smoke-free Euskadi strategy , this network began four years ago on 9 beaches in the Basque Country, since then it has added new accessions every year and today there are more than 700 smoke-free areas and about 70 municipalities in the Basque Country.