(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam will hold a meeting on tobacco harm prevention and the National No Tobacco Week in response to World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The World Health Organization has launched its 2022 global campaign “Tobacco: Threat to our environment” for World No Tobacco Day on May 31. The campaign calls on countries to raise public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco on health, and encourage people not to smoke.
Smoking is a risk factor for several of the world’s leading causes of death, including lung cancer and other forms of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases. The WHO estimates that each year more than 8 million people die prematurely due to tobacco use.
In Vietnam the percentage of male smokers decreased from 45.3% in 2015 to 42.3% in 2020. The smoking rate in the workplace fell from 42.6% to 30.9%, in restaurants from 80.7% to 78%, and in bars and coffee and tea shops from 89% to 86%.
Because tobacco is an addictive product, preventing tobacco harms is a long-term program which requires strong policies such as tax increases, building a smoke-free environment, and communications to raise people’s awareness and compliance with the Law on Tobacco Harms Prevention and Control.
Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund of the Ministry of Health, said: “The World Health Organization chose chooses May as the month for the world to prevent the harmful effects of tobacco. Vietnam is one of the early signatories of the Framework Convention on the Prevention of Tobacco Harms. Vietnam has a Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms. The growth of non-traditional cigarettes like e-cigarettes is a big risk for young people. For public health, let's work together for a no-tobacco and no-smoke environment.”
The Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, the Youth Union, and the Vital Strategies Organization have launched a video contest called "Vietnamese youth say no to cigarettes and e-cigarettes to protect health and environment".
The National Steering Committee on tobacco harm prevention and control was established and the model of a “no-tobacco environment” has been adopted at administrative agencies, schools, and health facilities.