[1] The China National Tobacco Corporation (中国烟草总公司 Zhōngguó Yāncǎo Zǒnggōngsī) is by sales the largest single manufacturer of tobacco products in the world and boasts a monopoly in Mainland China generating between 7 and 10% of government revenue. [10], Furthermore, the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project brings up the following persistent smoking issues in its 2009 report focused on China:[15]. Prior to enacting the nationwide smoking ban, the Ministry of Health had already maintained active involvement in decrying the negative effects of smoking and striving toward decreased prevalence of tobacco use. It has an estimated 350 million smokers — that's 1 in 3 of the world's smokers. The practice is controversial because some believe that medical professionals should serve as role models of healthy behavior to their patients, while others believe that doctors should have the right to smoke because it is a personal matter. Although China still lags behind many countries in implementing tobacco control policy, the Ministry of Health's May 20 initiative helped to establish more unified smoking controls and codify public health authority at broad administrative levels. Anyone caught smoking would first be given a warning and then face a fine of 50 to 200 yuan if they resist. And of course, for the sake of the public who would be visiting." CA Cancer J Clin. The industry supports around 20 million jobs, nearly 500,000 of which … Smoking causes 1 in 5 deaths in the US annually. This dossier presents a range of statistics and facts about smoking in Italy. Smoking in certain public places in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been banned from 1 January 2007 under the government's revised Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. [11] With an explicitly stated objective of "building smoke-free environments for the sake of enjoying healthy life",[12] the report has received strong support and praise from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a U.S. health advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.[11]. However, very few smokers (5%) in the ITC China Survey reported thinking about price as a reason to quit smoking—a sign that prices are too low. According to Dr. Shigeru Omi, the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific region, "implementing the Convention will not be easy, as smoking is an ingrained habit in China ... but the Government has made clear its commitment to take action." World J Surg 2009. In China’s ancient history, tobacco was heralded by military generals to have morale boosting powers and was crucial to the military. The Chinese Association on Tobacco Control (中国控制吸烟协会 Zhōngguó kòngzhì xīyān xiéhuì) is engaged in tobacco control by members of the voluntary sector, including academic, social and mass organizations,[3] as strong enforcement of existing tobacco control laws is not supported by the Chinese Government. The resources that are spent on medical school and hospital training might not be realized fully if physicians die prematurely from higher smoking rates. China is home to some 300m smokers, more than any other country; about half of men are regular smokers. [4] The Ministry said that as a "mid-term goal, all health administrations and half of the country's healthcare facilities should be smoke-free by the end of 2010". (There … [17] In addition, the cultural basis of smoking in China presents a significant barrier to de facto acceptance and integration of smoking control policies. According to Medical News Today, seven provincial capitals in China are taking steps to ban smoking in workplaces and public places. The new daily average [after the extended smoking ban] was less than half of what was reported in the first four months of this year, when the city's firefighters had to put out 325 fires caused by cigarette butts, or 2.7 per day.". A direct positive public health impact of the Beijing smoking ban has manifested in the arena of fire prevention. [16] Such indeterminate enforcements of supposedly well-defined public health regulations in practice may limit the impact of de jure national smoking bans. As a way to amend this problem, the British began exporting large … - Source 2. 1986, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, "The Political Mapping of China's Tobacco Industry and Anti-Smoking Campaign", "Smoke-free list extends to healthcare facilities", From 2011, Smoking Will Be Banned Completely in the Medical and Healthcare System, China To Ban Smoking In 7 Cities: Pilot Project, China Ratifies International Tobacco Treaty, Ahead of World Expo, China acts to promote smoking controls, Chinese Health Ministry Releases Landmark Anti-Smoking Report, "Special communication: China's first historic efforts to develop a tobacco control advocacy workforce via schools of public health", China relaxes smoking ban in Beijing restaurants, China moves to reduce smoking scenes on TV, Shanghai scrambles to implement ban on smoking in indoor public places ahead of World Expo, Smoking ban helps reduce fires in Beijing, Guangdong to launch stricter smoking ban at public places, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2009-12/11/content_9161633.htm, "Contrasting male and female trends in tobacco-attributed mortality in China: evidence from successive nationwide prospective cohort studies", "Smoking causes 10% of deaths worldwide; even more in China", "The Chinese Government Is Getting Rich Selling Cigarettes", Cigarette Retail Trade in China Undergoes Drastic Changes, The most effective Alternative To Smoking, China Today: Health and Medicine Information, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, National Healthcare Security Administration, China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smoking_in_China&oldid=992128515, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from December 2015, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In addition to "strong social pressure placed upon Chinese men to smoke", it is also expected that female smoking will become "more socially acceptable as the tobacco industry increasingly targets female smokers. Cigarette smoking among physicians, dentists, and nurses. Mortality rates for lung cancer are disproportionately high in China, and over 75 percent of lung cancer deaths in Chinese men are attributable to smoking. Tobacco use has been identified as an increasingly popular phenomenon in China, and Chinese physicians have been found to exhibit high smoking rates as well. [30], As of 2014, two thirds of Chinese men smoked. A list of 101 catchy no smoking slogans for fighting the cause of smoking. Tobacco control legislation does exist, but public enforcement is rare to non-existent outside the most highly internationalized cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing. Most Chinese normal-speed trains (Z, T, or K types train) offer smoking area in the spaces between carriages still. Methods A nationally representative survey of smoking … Smoking in China is prevalent, as the People's Republic of China is the world's largest consumer and producer of tobacco:[1] there are 350 million Chinese smokers,[1] and China produces 42% of the world's cigarettes. Some have suggested that so long as a cigarette does not interfere with a physician's ability to diagnose and treat patients, smoking should be permitted among health care practitioners. In addition, the report suggested a strong likelihood of success for the implementation of complete public smoking bans in seven major urban areas on the basis of demonstrated widespread popular support for such measures. Tobacco use has been identified as an increasingly popular phenomenon in China, and Chinese physicians have been found to exhibit high smoking rates as well. On May 20, 2009, the Ministry of Health of China issued a formal decision to completely ban smoking in all health administration offices and medical facilities by the year 2011. Alternatively, smoking cessation advice offered by a doctor who smokes may seem hypocritical to the patient trying to quit. [citation needed], Impact of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Arguments in favor of physicians' choice to smoke, Arguments against physicians' choice to smoke. [35] China also remains one of the three leading countries (along with India and the United States) in total number of female smokers, although these three countries accounted for only 27.3% of the world's female smokers, indicating that the tobacco epidemic is less geographically concentrated for women than for men.[35]. A massive increase in opium smoking in China was more or less directly instigated by the British trade deficit with Qing dynasty China. Smoking is prohibited on all Chinese High-speed trains (G, D, C types train) now. Jiang Y, Ong M K, Tong E K, et al. According to a report by the Fudan University Media and Public Opinion Research Center, 93.5% of the 509 people they interviewed supported a smoking ban at all Shanghai Expo 2010 pavilions and also felt that smoking should not be allowed in restaurants or shopping centers near the Expo area. Contact, China has the largest number of obese children in the world, study says, For China’s Growing Middle Class, Expanding Waistlines Pose Problem, China Not Doing Enough to Stub out Smoking, Chinese Manufacturing | Fascinating Facts & Figures, Facts about China: CRIME, HUMAN RIGHTS & SUICIDE, Total population: 76.4 years (#51 world ranking). About one-fourth of those smokers live in China and they are the fastest rising market … 3. The chair of my department smokes. It has an estimated 350 million smokers — that's 1 in 3 of the world's smokers. [21] While many interviewers found second-hand smoke itself toxic and damaging to citizen's health, a main reason behind popular support for the smoking ban relates to the citizen's concern for Shanghai's image. The seven cities are Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenyang, Harbin, Nanchang, Lanzhou and Shenzhen. Some bars, karaoke parlors, saunas and nightclubs were exempt until 1 July 2009. There was a significant gender difference, with 41% of male physicians reporting to be smokers but only 1% of female physicians. And whenever I walk into the duty office, most of my colleagues are smoking. ", The Beijing government has also adopted a policy of persuasion, combined with a fine of up to 5,000 yuan ($730) for violating the ban, in an attempt to further encourage citizens to curtail public smoking.[24]. An economic motivation against physician smoking may be the societal loss that is caused by tobacco use. [10], However, widespread apathy and tacit acceptance toward smoking policy are likely to predominate within large portions of the Chinese population. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. 1 The health burden of smoking … [8] In light of the FCTC, concerns about international image, and strong support from both citizens and domestic health authorities, the Chinese government has become increasingly involved in tobacco prevention and tobacco-related health promotion programs. Over 11 per cent of 6.4 million deaths worldwide was caused by smoking in 2015 and 52.2 per cent of them took place in China, India, USA, and Russia, according to the latest estimates in the … The new ban will be run as a pilot project under the joint auspices of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease(UNION). [29], Male surgeons were found to smoke more than any other specialty. Some 70.6% of non-smokers support some type of smoking ban in bars and restaurants.[11]. Some opponents to the smoking ban hold that smoking as a personal choice has nothing to do with public health. Current tobacco control legislation in China does not explicitly address gendered or social bases for smoking. Despite China's own widespread and complex smoking issue, the ratification of the FCTC in China represents a significant commitment to tobacco control in international public health policy. Tobacco smoking is one of the world’s largest health problems. And to tell you the truth, with such a pressure-filled job, smoking is extremely helpful, at times soothing, at times energizing, at times helping me focus my attention when preparing for a complex surgery or facing a stack of paperwork 10:30 at night.[32]. The data for the United States is from the domestic Ministry of Health. Current tax regulations in Chinese tobacco control policy are limited, inconsistent, and tied to the structural intricacies of domestic ownership and control of tobacco production and distribution. In fact, Chinese physicians who smoke may be able to form closer relationships with patients because of tobacco's role in the local culture as a commodity that promotes unity and friendship. In 2009, the authorities of Gongan County attempted to increase consumption of locally produced cigarettes, by demanding that local officials smoke up to 23,000 packs of Hubei-branded cigarettes per year. The Beijing Municipal Government has recently vowed anti-smoking laws to ban smoking in all indoor public venues, workplace, and public transport vehicles in a new anti-smoking … However, due to the Chinese government's complex relationship with tobacco policy (for instance, many localities rely upon tobacco tax revenue as a substantial source of income),[6] there have been many concerns about the practicality of the national policy's enforcement. According to Li Zhongyang, the deputy head of the Shanghai Health Promotion Committee, the smoking ban was enacted to protect citizens' health and also promote Shanghai's image as a cosmopolitan city. [17], Also, enforcement of national tobacco-control policies is still largely sparse in rural areas, where the state-owned China National Tobacco Corporation exerts much of its influence in tobacco production and marketing. Public health experts agree that it will be difficult to enforce a strict ban with the large number of smokers present in Shanghai.[20]. [2] Within the Chinese guanxi system, tobacco is still a ubiquitous gift acceptable on any occasion, particularly outside urban areas. Smoking deaths in China are set to triple to 3 million a year by 2050, according to a new study that examines the devastating toll of rising smoking rates on the country’s male population. Dingding, Xin. [18], On February 12, 2011, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, announced that it will ban inappropriate smoking scenes in movies and TV shows. Cultural norms from China persist in the city because many Chinese residents are foreign-born, she said: “Sixty percent of men there smoke, while there is a stigma to women smoking.” Most of them have no knowledge of the facts about smoking … For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. In light of its preparations to host the 2010 World Expo, the city of Shanghai had recently heightened its anti-smoking legislation. [26] The public places for smoking ban included restaurants, entertainment outlets, schools, supermarkets, and governmental offices. Medical Anthropology 2008, Garfinkel L, Stellman SD. For the entire 20th century it is estimated that around 100 million people died prematurely because of smoking, most of them in rich countries. However, given the decreasing smoking rate in recent years mainly due to increasing tobacco tax, the government currently has no further plans to control sales of tobacco other than by adjusting taxation. [2], Yang Gonghuan, deputy director of the National Center of Disease Control of China, said that progress on tobacco control is not moving quickly because the government derives large tax revenues from tobacco sales, and the industry employs a large workforce. In order to maintain a robust, sustainable effort in tobacco control, China will particularly need to focus upon the role of public health education in smoking prevention and health promotion. However, this opinion runs against the facts. Smoking bans in lifts, public transport, cinemas, concert halls, airport terminal and escalators had been phased in between 1982 and 1997. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, translating to one smoking-related death every … More than one third of current smokers had smoked in front of their patients and nearly all had smoked during their work shift. A physician's personal smoking habits have been shown to influence his or her attitudes toward the dangers of tobacco. China loves to smoke, as these sobering statistics show. [12] Various health experts, activists, and public advocacy groups regard the Chinese government's escalating efforts toward tobacco policy as "surely good news for the country's smoking control progress. Furthermore, smoking can be considered a personal matter that should not be relevant to the workplace. "[15], Given the complex and multifaceted nature of political agendas in China, governmental public-health related interests often clash with economic interests. In light of the passage of national tobacco initiatives and international publicity for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Beijing city government extended a public smoking ban on May 1, 2008 to include sports venues and all indoor areas of government offices, transport stations, schools and hospitals. 1-5 Smoking Facts 1. In Chinese culture, smoking is connected to masculine identity as a social activity that is practiced among men to promote feelings of acceptance and brotherhood, which explains why more Chinese male doctors smoke than females. You are … Serving cigarettes … [4] China does not have laws to punish health care facilities, medical workers and health officials who violate smoking bans, and is instead relying on the Chinese media to act as a watchdog. [29] A study conducted among 800 Chinese male surgeons in 2004 found that 45.2% were smokers and 42.5% had smoked in front of their patients. Because tobacco remains a significant source of both health risks and revenue for municipal and national governing entities,[6] specific Chinese tobacco control policies in different contexts may betray an overall position of ambivalence or inconsistency. The economic burden of smoking estimated in terms of GDP reveals that smoking accounts for approximately 0.7% of China's GDP and approximately 1% of US GDP. [20] For organizers of the Expo, there was also the issue of hypocrisy if they did not deal with China's smoking problem as part of their "Healthy Expo. [5] With an ever-increasing Chinese smoking population of over 350 million, the enactment of the May 20 initiative represents an important landmark in China's commitment to tobacco control. The number of worldwide smokers hovers around 1.2 billion marks. Their backgrounds in science and medicine enable them to know more about the effects of smoking on the body compared to the general public, so a decision they make about tobacco may be more educated. More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. The Shanghai People's Congress issued the city's first smoking control law in March 2010. [14] The Ministry's "Decision" formally requests local governmental units to "set up multi-agency FCTC Implementation Leading Small Groups"[5] to assist with regional strategies of enforcement, with the explicit goal that: "by the year 2010, all health administration offices, both military and non-military, and at least 50% of all medical and health institutions should become smoke-free units, so that the goal of a total smoking ban in all health administration offices and medical and health institutions can be fulfilled by 2011. This decision was reversed after public outcry and coverage by international press. [13] From 2009, Projects sponsored by Bloomberg Initiative and directed by Yang Tingzhong were designed as the first program to prohibit all forms of smoking in University campuses in China. As a response to FCTC recommendations for reduction of access and supply-side tobacco regulation, the Ministry of Health is now targeting farmers to give up tobacco plantation and trying to “convince them that the tobacco industry can be replaced by other industries that are more healthy, sustainable and profitable.”[17], Another potential obstacle is the Chinese tobacco industry's lack of complete compliance with nationally defined policies regarding the correct presentation of warning labels on cigarette packages, which must be readily visible and cover at least 30% of the visible area of the packaging. They only share a cigarette when they want to ease the nerves on a battlefield and bond as the brothers. 'I am delighted by such encouraging support from the public, it will help to promote legislation to control tobacco use,' [said] Jiang Yuan, vice-head of the tobacco control office under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The director of our hospital smokes. 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