Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 31, 1993                   TAG: 9305310063
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: GENEVA                                LENGTH: Short

NO-TOBACCO DAY GOES WORLDWIDE

"No doctor should ignore the fact that smoking already kills 3 million people each year and that the figure will continue to grow if nothing is done," the U.N. health agency said in a report issued in advance of today's World No-Tobacco Day, when WHO and many governments encourage people to quit for at least one day.

This year's theme is the role of health services.

The group, citing data from the United States, reported that although 90 percent of physicians believed helping patients quit was an important part of their job, less than half offered such advice.

Only 3 percent of those surveyed thought their efforts had succeeded, although evidence shows even a few minutes of counseling increases the chances a smoker will quit, the report said. - Associated Press