Letters to the Editor I’m sure that other editors of nursing journals will pay addi- tional attention to this as well. zyxwvutsrq Mary Comerford Freda, zyxwvuts Upsilon Editor, MCN, The American Journal of zyxwvutsrq Maternal Child zyxwvut Nursing Huntington, New York Too Little Discussion of Tobacco-reluted Diseases and Deaths I, too, am excited about the appointment of Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway’s former prime minister, as the new head of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, my enthusi- asm is largely because of Dr. Brundtland‘s focus on international tobacco-control efforts. Because of this, I am surprised that in Holleran and Hirshfeld’s (both in Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Second Quarter 1998)comments about the new nurs- ing priorities for WHO, there is no discussion about what will become the number one cause of preventable death and morbid- ity in the next century, tobacco. This year approximately4 million people around the world will probably die of tobacco-related disease and by 2020, WHO off:- cials project that over 10 million people, many in middle age and over 70% from developing countries, will die. For example, lung cancer, one of the most deadly of tobacco-related diseases, is now the number one cause of cancer-related death in the world-such deaths are projected to double by the year 2020, resulting in over 2.4 million deaths per year. This increase is largely because of the 82% increase in lung cancer deaths in developing countries. With the political activism for tobacco control in the United States, and the decreasing consumption, multinational tobacco countries will seek and find new and better markets. I zyxwvut am afraid that these new venues will put the burden on women and children in developing countries. Few nurses appear to know that women in the United States have had the highest rate of lung cancer deaths in the world. As women and young girls in Asia, Latin America, and Africa become prime targets for recruitment to the next gen- eration of smokers, this ranking will change. Brundtland acknowledges that the epidemic of tobacco-related disease is shifting to developing countries and requests a “broad- based alliance against tobacco.” My question is, will nurses be part of this alliance? Where is tobacco control in the WHO pri- orities for a common nursing research agenda? In the most recent international conference on tobacco and health held in Beijing, China, 1997, nursing leadership in tobacco control was all but absent despite a strong leadership contingent from WHO. I urge the nursing leadership of WHO to make to- bacco control one of its priorities and a top priority for interna- tional nursing education and clinical practice standards. Nurses can be a pivotal force in the prevention, assessment, and cessa- tion of tobacco use. References Brundtland, G.H. (1998).Acceptance speech to the 51st World Health Assembly. Geneva, Switzerland: GLOBALink. Murray, C.J.L., zyxwvu & Lopez, A.D. (1997). The global burden of Disease. A comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press. Peto, R., Lopez, A.D., Boreham, J., Thun, M., & Heath, C. (1994). Mortality from smoking in developed countries, zyxw 1950-2000. Indirect estimates from national vital statistics. Oxford, England: Oxford Medical Publications. Sarna, L. (1995). Nurses’ role in tobacco control: AUICC cancer nursing project. In K. Slama (Ed.), Tobacco and health (455-458). New York: Plenum. Linda Sarna, Gamma Tau University of California at Los Angeles School of Nursing Los Angeles, California Appreciates Book Reviews I enjoy and learn from Image enormously and always find the book reviews quite fascinating. Thank you Sarah Gueldner for all you do for all of us. Maude M. Smith, Theta-At-Large San Francisco, California Widener University School of Nursing DOCTOR OF NURSING SCIENCE Calendar Year and Summer Option Programs MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING *Community Based Nursing *Emergency Critical Care Family Nurse Practitioner This program offered on Chester and Harrisburg Campuses * 28 of 38 credits available on Harrisburg Campus MSN FOR REGISTERED NURSES WITH A NON-NURSING BACHELOR’S DEGREE POST MASTERS CERTIFICATES Nursing Education and Nurse Practitioner BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Full-time day and part-timeevening programs RN - BSN PROGRAM ERTlFlCATE IN HOLISTIC HEALTH PROMOTION - FALL 1998 RN - BSN - MSN ACCELERATED PROGRAM Bin Campus Harrisburg Campus zy tester; PA 79073 Harrisburg, PA 77106 10) 499-4212 (777) 541-7932 IX (610) 499-4216 FAX (717) 54i-m http://www.WIDENER.EDU/NURSlNG Widener II Y I v E I s I1 r 310 /rnage:/ourna/ of Nursing Schofarship Volume 30, Number 4, Fourth Quarter 1998