Smoking still a problem despite curbs
Print Edition
China has gone a long way in its battle to reduce smoking in the past 10 years but there is still much to do, according to a report.
After China ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2006, smoking in public places has been banned in some cities, public awareness of the dangers of tobacco has increased and tobacco commercials have been banned, according to the report on tobacco control in China last year by the ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, a Beijing-based NGO.
Eighteen Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing have rolled out regional regulations and laws that ban smoking in public places, protecting the health of about a 10th of the country’s population, according to the report. It also said that more and more people have become aware of the harm of smoking and secondhand smoke.
However, despite legislation and public education, China has not curbed tobacco use, and smoking prevalence remains the same as it was five years ago.
A survey by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 27.7 percent of adults smoked in 2015 and the number of smokers had climbed to 316 million, up 15 million since 2010, each smoking 15.2 cigarettes a day on average.
The report proposed several suggestions, and said the priority lay in pushing forward nationwide legislation.
Beijing’s efforts to ban tobacco promotions and sponsorship as well as smoking in public indoor areas have seen positive results, setting a very good example for legislation, said Wu Yiqun, the research center’s deputy director.
The report also called for warning pictures to be printed on cigarette packs as graphic health warnings are considered the best way to persuade smokers to quit.
Tax should be increased to cut cigarette consumption, said the report.
Wu suggested the retail price of cigarettes should be increased. She said the WHO recommended that at least 70 percent of the retail price of cigarettes in China should come from taxes, compared to the current 55 percent.
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