Gebro Pharma and The Ricky Rubio Foundation join forces in a joint campaign against smoking

The Hub's member Gebro Pharma reinforces its commitment to respiratory diseases through a social awareness campaign that seeks to motivate smokers to quit tobacco and nicotine. The "Goodbye Nicotine" campaign kicked off on May 31, International No Tobacco Day, and will run until the end of 2025. For this cause, Gebro Pharma has partnered with the Hub's member The Ricky Rubio Foundation, an organization with which it shares the goal of improving respiratory health among the population.

Goal: 6,000 photos and €6,000

The campaign invites smokers to upload a photo to their social media accounts with the person or living being for whom they would quit smoking, tagging the image with the hashtag #adiosnicotina. For each tagged image, Gebro Pharma pledges to donate 1 euro to The Ricky Rubio Foundation's anti-smoking and lung cancer projects. The goal is to reach 6,000 photos to complete the 6,000 euro donation.

And you, who would you quit smoking for?

Quitting smoking requires intrinsic motivation, a personal reason that drives a person to make a conscious decision to give up the habit. Although improved health after quitting nicotine is already a reason to quit smoking, many experts in this field indicate that psychological motivations contribute positively to successful cessation.

The EUREST-PLUS study, a longitudinal study conducted between 2016 and 2018 in six European Union countries (including Spain), revealed that psychological factors such as concern for health, the desire to be a good example for children, and the perception of less addiction were significantly associated with quitting smoking.

"In this sense, the campaign kindly urges smokers to think about that family member, friend, pet, partner, loved one, etc., for whom they would give up nicotine, because if you know for whom, you undoubtedly know why. Nothing makes us feel better than doing something that will benefit the people we love," says Isabel Salas, Director of Human Resources & Communication at Gebro Pharma.

Commitment to respiratory diseases

The donation will go toward respiratory health projects run by The Ricky Rubio Foundation, which promotes initiatives to improve the quality of life of people with lung cancer through physical exercise, as well as campaigns to eradicate smoking. Among these projects, Proyecto Zero stands out, focused on achieving the first smoke-free generation of young people, as well as programs such as LungFit and WINNER, which promote physical exercise as a therapeutic and recovery tool for cancer patients.

"At The Ricky Rubio Foundation, we are motivated to be part of a campaign because it connects with emotions and the power of personal bonds to quit smoking. As a foundation, we work every day to improve the quality of life of lung cancer patients and actively participate in campaigns to eradicate smoking, especially among young people. This campaign reinforces our goal and allows us to inspire more people to take a step towards a smoke-free life," says Josep Heredia, director of The Ricky Rubio Foundation.

Smoking

According to WHO data, tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year, of whom 1.3 million are passive smokers. In Spain, 22.1% of the population is considered to be smokers, and 19.8% of this population smokes daily. Another relevant fact is that 54.6% of Spanish students between the ages of 14 and 18 have used electronic devices for vaping at some point. Between 2015 and 2022, the consumption of electronic cigarettes in Spain has risen from 6.8% to 12.1%.

Smoking is one of the biggest public health concerns and the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Quitting smoking reduces cases of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Smoking is a chronic and recurrent disease that requires a long-term approach and intensive treatment, as it involves two components: physical dependence and psychological dependence.

Join the campaign too!