Beijing law provides momentum towards national smoking ban
BEIJING, 19 October 2015 – A strong, comprehensive, national smoke-free law would protect all of China’s 1.34 billion citizens from the harms of second-hand tobacco smoke, and would be immensely popular with the public, including smokers, according to a new report launched today.
These findings are presented alongside policy recommendations in Smoke-free policies in China –Evidence of effectiveness and implications for action, from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“China’s addiction to tobacco is taking a dreadful toll on its health, its society, and its economy. And China’s smokers are not only hurting themselves, but also their friends, family, and others around them. The rates of exposure to second-hand smoke are extraordinarily high, with devastating health consequences for those affected,” said Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO Representative in China.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a solution – and it starts with the adoption of a national smoke-free law. A national smoke-free law is the only way to effectively protect all of China’s population from the harms of tobacco smoke – and the report we are releasing today demonstrates the urgent importance of this,” Dr Schwartländer said.
More than 1 million people die each year in China from tobacco-related illnesses. If current smoking habits continue, this number is expected to triple by the year 2050.
In addition, involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke endangers the health of hundreds of millions of people in China every day. According to the report, 740 million non-smokers – including 182 million children – are exposed to second-hand smoke at least once a day in a typical week. Approximately 100,000 people die in China every year as a result. Second-hand smoke can make indoor venues more polluted than the air outside even on the most heavily polluted days.
“China is unfortunately a world leader in second-hand smoke exposure: among the countries we work in, China has the highest rates of smoking in workplaces and homes, and among the highest rates in restaurants and bars. This puts the health of millions of non-smokers at risk every single day,” said Dr Geoffrey T. Fong, Principal Investigator, ITC Project.
“Other countries have taken strong action to protect non-smokers from the smoke of others. When comprehensive smoking bans are effectively implemented and supported, indoor smoking virtually disappears,” Dr Fong explained.
The winds of change are blowing in China: on 1 June this year, a comprehensive smoke-free law came into effect in the nation’s capital. The law is the strongest smoke-free law adopted in China, and requires all indoor places, including workplaces, restaurants, hotels and airports to be 100% smoke-free, without any exceptions. Beijing’s smoke-free law sets an excellent precedent for other Chinese cities, and provides important momentum for the adoption of a national smoke-free law.
“Beijing’s comprehensive law sets an example for all of China. Although there have been some smoke-free policies in other Chinese cities, they have been partial and poorly enforced. We need stronger laws, effective enforcement and mass education campaigns to educate people about the dangers of inhaling second-hand smoke,” said Dr Xiaofeng Liang, Deputy Director, China CDC.
Crucially, the report demonstrates that there is likely to be strong popular support for a national smoke-free law. The ITC Project data shows that even smokers are supportive of smoke-free laws, particularly in workplaces. Support for smoke-free bars amongst smokers is higher in China than it was in other countries, such as Ireland, Scotland (United Kingdom), and France before such smoking bans were introduced.
“This is a critically important finding. It shows that lawmakers have nothing to fear from the adoption of a national smoke-free law. On the contrary: a comprehensive national smoke-free law is likely to be extremely popular in China, even among smokers themselves, as we have already seen in Beijing. It is time to get this done,” Dr Schwartländer said.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which came into force in China in 2006, requires that countries adopt laws and regulations to protect against exposure to second-hand smoke in all indoor public places. As well as protecting against harms caused by second-hand smoke, smoke-free laws also help to reduce tobacco consumption and motivate smokers to quit the deadly habit.
Note to editors:
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project)
The evidence presented in the report is primarily based on findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project), the first-ever international cohort study to evaluate the psychosocial and behavioural effects of tobacco control policies and the only research project that focuses on measuring the impact of key policies of the WHO FCTC.
The ITC Project conducts surveys of smokers and non-smokers in China and 21 other countries. Four waves of ITC China Survey data have been collected between 2006 and 2012 from 5600 adult smokers and 1400 non-smokers in seven cities in China. Findings from the ITC China Survey and other ITC countries can provide policy-makers with a roadmap to guide the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive smoke-free law.
Download the full report: http://www.wpro.who.int/china/tobacco_report_20151019_en.pdf
About the World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
About the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC)
China CDC is a nonprofit institution working in the fields of disease control and prevention, public health management and provision of service. China CDC is committed to strengthening research on strategies and measures for disease control and prevention; organizing and implementing control and prevention plans for different kinds of diseases; carrying out public health management; acting as the national working group for disease prevention, emergency relief, and construction of public health information systems.
For more information, please contact:
Ms WU Linlin
WHO China Office
E-mail: wul@who.int
Office Tel: +86 10 6532 7191
世卫组织新闻稿
全国禁烟法规刻不容缓：世卫组织新报告
北京控制吸烟条例为全国禁烟创造势头
北京，2015年10月19日——严格而全面的全国禁烟法规将保护中国13.4亿人口不受二手烟的危害，这一规定将受到广大群众包括吸烟者的热烈欢迎——引自今天发布的最新报告。
以上研究结果来自世界卫生组织、国际烟草控制政策评估项目（ITC项目）和中国疾病预防控制中心联合发布的《中国无烟政策——效果评估及政策建议》。该报告还提出了政策建议。
“烟瘾给中国的健康、社会和经济造成了巨大负担。中国的吸烟者们伤害的不仅仅是他们自己，还有他们的朋友、家人、以及身边其他人。中国的二手烟暴露率特别高，接触二手烟的人承受着毁灭性的健康后果。”世界卫生组织驻华代表施贺德博士表示。
“但这是可以避免的。有现成的解药——第一步是通过全国禁烟法规。全国禁烟法规是保护所有中国人民不受烟草烟雾危害的唯一办法——今天发布的报告向大家展示了这一法规的重要性和紧迫性，”施博士表示。
中国每年有100多万人死于烟草相关疾病。如果当前的吸烟习惯继续下去，到2050年，死亡人数将是现在的三倍。
不仅如此，每天还有数亿人被迫接触二手烟并付出健康的代价。报告指出，中国有将近7.4亿非吸烟者（包括1.82亿儿童）在有代表性的一周里每天至少有一次机会接触二手烟。接触二手烟每年导致10万中国人死亡。二手烟能使室内污染情况更糟于重度污染日子里的室外环境。
“在二手烟暴露水平上，中国不幸成为全球首领：在本研究调查的所有国家之中，工作场所吸烟率及家庭吸烟率以中国最高，餐厅和酒吧的吸烟率中国也非常靠前。这一情况每天都危害着数百万非吸烟者的健康，” ITC项目首席科学家方德智博士表示。
“其他国家已采取强有力的措施来保护非吸烟者不遭受他人吸烟的危害。当全面禁烟规定得到有效实施并获得支持，几乎能够完全消除室内吸烟现象。”方博士解释。
中国控烟的风向正在改变。自2015年6月1日起，在中国首都北京，一部全面禁止室内公共场所吸烟的立法——《北京市控制吸烟条例》开始生效。该条例是迄今为止中国最严格的控烟立法，要求北京的工作场所、餐厅、宾馆、机场等所有公共场所的室内区域一律百分之百禁烟。《北京市控制吸烟条例》为中国其他城市树立了优秀典范，并为出台全国禁烟法规加足了马力。
“北京全面禁烟规定为全国作出了表率。中国其他城市虽然有一些禁烟政策，但要么不是全面禁烟，要么执行不力。我们需要严格的法律、有效的实施，还需要开展大众宣教活动让大家了解吸入二手烟的危害。”中国疾病预防控制中心梁晓峰副主任表示。
这份报告还有一个重要发现：全国禁烟法规很有可能会得到群众大力支持。ITC项目数据表明即便吸烟者也支持禁烟规定，尤其是在工作场所禁烟。中国吸烟者对酒吧禁烟的支持率高于爱尔兰、苏格兰（英国）、法国等国在通过禁烟令之前的支持率。
“这一调查结果非常重要。它表明立法者不必对通过全国禁烟法规有太多顾虑。相反，全国性的全面禁烟规定极有可能广受欢迎，即便是吸烟者们也会欢迎——我们在北京已经见证了这一点。现在全国律法时机成熟，该出手时就出手。”施博士表示。
世界卫生组织《烟草控制框架公约》（2006年在中国生效）要求缔约方通过法律法规保护公众在室内公共场所免于接触二手烟草烟雾。禁烟法律法规不仅保护人们不受二手烟的危害，还有助于降低烟草消费并鼓励吸烟者戒除这一致死陋习。
编者按：
关于国际烟草控制政策评估项目（ITC项目）
本报告所采用的研究证据来自于国际烟草控制政策评估项目（简称ITC项目）。ITC项目是全球首个针对控烟政策所带来的心理及行为上的影响进行评估的国际性队列研究，也是唯一一个衡量《公约》核心政策影响的研究项目。
ITC项目在全球包括中国在内的22个国家，针对吸烟者和非吸烟者展开调查。在2006至2012 年间， ITC项目在中国的七个城市中针对5,600名成年吸烟者和1,400名非吸烟者进行了4轮调查。ITC 项目在中国及其他国家的研究结果能够为决策者绘制出一幅用以制定和实施全面禁止公共场所吸烟立法的路线图。
报告全文下载：http://www.wpro.who.int/china/tobacco_report_20151019_zh.pdf
关于世界卫生组织
世卫组织是联合国系统内的卫生指导与协调机构，负责在全球卫生健康相关工作中发挥领导作用，制定卫生健康研究议程，设立规范及标准，阐述循证的政策备选方案，向各国提供技术支持，以及监控和评估卫生健康趋势。
关于中国疾病预防控制中心（中国疾控中心）
中国疾控中心是实施国家级疾病预防控制与公共卫生技术管理和服务的公益事业单位。中国疾控中心致力于加强对疾病预防控制策略与措施的研究，做好各类疾病预防控制工作规划的组织实施，开展各项公共卫生业务管理工作，在防病、应急、公共卫生信息能力的建设等方面发挥国家队的作用。
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吴琳琳女士
世卫组织驻华代表处
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