http://www.bjreview.com AUGUST 15, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 17
Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo
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Heard of Used to use Are using2015
2018Smoking Rate (^) for Chinese
Residents
(Aged 15 and above, %)
Secondhand Smoke Exposure
( People aware of dangers from
secondhand smoke, %)
Quitting Smoking
( % )
E-cigarette Usage
( % )
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(Source: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; designed by Pamela Tobey)
52.
2.
27.
50.
2.
26.
Male
Female
Total
Proportion of smokers who:
Quit, 2018 Plan to quit
in next 12
months
Tried to quit
in previous
12 months
Top three reasons for quitting:
Already
been sick
Pressure from
family members
Potential
health risks
Children lung disease
Adult heart disease
Adult lung cancer
66.
65.
39.
68.
Rate of non-smokers
exposed to second-
hand smoke in 2018
E-cigarette
useage rate
of smokers
aged 15
to 24
E-cigarettes
bought
online
20.1 16.
38.7 26.6 14.
19.
1.5 45.
40.
48.
3.1 5.
0.5 0.
including schools, afterschool educational
institutions and children’s hospitals.
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June 2015, has led to hundreds of thousands of
smokers quitting, according to Mao.
E-cigarettes, which are supposedly a less
harmful alternative to cigarettes, are also
causing concern. In spite of their increasing
popularity, the additives and aerosol they
produce are also health-threatening. The
nicotine concentration of many e-cigarettes
are not clearly stated, which can lead to over-
use. In addition, there are other safety risks,
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and scald burns.
According to a survey released by the
Chinese Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (China CDC) in May, the e-cigarette
usage rate among smokers aged between
15 and 24 was 1.5 percent, but there was an
increase in the number of young e-cigarette
smokers.
In 2018, a study published in PLoS ONE,
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use may be associated with teenagers and
young adults who used to start smoking tradi-
tional cigarettes and, eventually, became daily
smokers.
“Given the unsafe nature of e-cigarettes,
the NHC and relevant departments are studying
possible e-cigarette legislation,” Mao said.
Cleaner environment
According to the action plan, offices of
Communist Party of China organizations and
government departments at all levels will
become smoke-free, with smoking gradually
banned in indoor public spaces, workplaces
and public transport nationwide.
In 2013, a ban on smoking in Party and
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strict practice. To facilitate its implementation,
training sessions, seminars and many other ex-
perience sharing activities have been held.
“A complete set of rules has been estab-
lished and achieved preliminary results,” said Li
Xinhua, Deputy Director of China CDC, adding
that in addition to Party and government work-
ers, civil servants, medical practitioners and
teachers are encouraged to set an example.
Li noted that building smoke-free Party and
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China’s tobacco control. Meanwhile, China CDC
has formulated appropriate and detailed meth-
ods and developed guide books and toolkits,
with assessment and learning activities, as well
as surveys planned to ensure results.
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Sun Pangzi (a pseudonym) is a 57-year-old re-
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due to pressure from his family and coworkers.
Even though he stopped his 30-year habit, he
still thinks smoking is a personal choice. He,
along with many others, is still not convinced of
the hazards of smoking.
To this end, the action plan states that in-
dividuals and households should be made fully
aware of the severe hazards caused by smoking
and exposure to secondhand smoke. The foun-
dation for smoking control is to widely publicize
the dangers of tobacco, Mao said at the press
conference.
“The dangers are not only about causing
certain diseases like cancer or cardiovascular
and cerebrovascular diseases, but also about
the impact it has on the entire body and its
functioning system,” he said, noting that the
country is improving a national database and
trying to bring the latest research results to
the public.
Li Changning, Director of the Chinese
Health Education Center, said multiple mea-
sures have proven effective in promoting
a smoke-free lifestyle to the public, such as
handing out brochures, increasing advertising
and posters, organizing thematic activities and
inviting celebrities to be ambassadors of the
campaign.
He said traditional and new media mea-
sures are being combined in the dissemination
of tobacco control information. During this
year’s World No Tobacco Day activities, posts
under tobacco control-related tags received
160 million views and 71,000 discussions on
new media platforms. Q