Health Minister Memişoğlu: The average age for starting smoking in Turkey is 17

In his speech at the Turkish Parliamentarians Association, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu listed Turkey's five fundamental health problems while drawing attention to the effects of tobacco use on youth. Based on TUIK data, Memişoğlu stated that 2.5 million out of the 7.5 million population between the ages of 13 and 17 consume cigarettes, and announced that the average age for starting smoking is 17.

Minister Memişoğlu defined Turkey's priority health agenda as obesity, tobacco and bad habits, drugs, behavioral addictions, and low fertility rate. Emphasizing the prevalence of tobacco use, Memişoğlu evaluated the usage rates among the young population as a 'dramatic problem'.

Touching upon other developments regarding the health system in his speech, Memişoğlu shared information about activities carried out in areas such as family medicine studies, early diagnosis practices, increasing the capacity of health infrastructure, promoting normal birth, and the production of domestic health technologies.