According to Ms. Phan Thi Hai - Deputy Director in charge of managing and operating the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, in addition to the achievements in tobacco harm prevention in Vietnam, according to the assessment, Vietnam is still one of the 15 countries with the highest number of adult men smoking in the world.
Regarding the consequences of tobacco use in general and the high rate of smoking among men in Vietnam today, Ms. Hai said that there are 25 diseases related to tobacco use such as stroke, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer, which are the leading causes of death in Vietnam.
Sharing more about the harmful effects of tobacco, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa - Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health also affirmed that all types of tobacco are harmful, the main ingredient is nicotine.
With cigarettes, we can control the amount of nicotine entering the body, but with new cigarettes, we cannot, the level of addiction increases very quickly. These products also have rich designs, attract and appeal to young people, this is extremely dangerous. Worryingly, the rate of children smoking electronic cigarettes is increasing rapidly.
"It took us nearly 10 years to reduce the rate of tobacco use in the 13-17 age group from 5.36% to 2.78%. However, the rate of increase in e-cigarette use is also very fast. Investigations in many countries and in Vietnam show that after 2 years, this rate doubled. This is the most worrying thing..." - Dr. Khoa pondered.
Launch a propaganda campaign
The Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund is coordinating with relevant agencies to broadcast TV Spots to promote strong propaganda campaigns on the harmful effects of tobacco. Accordingly, there will be 4 contents broadcast on mass media.
The first content of the campaign "Don't let new generation cigarettes ruin the future generation" with 5 main messages: If you think that new generation cigarettes (e-cigarettes and heated tobacco) are safe, think again. Using new generation cigarettes can cause damage to the lungs, heart and brain, especially in young people.
Second, on increasing tobacco taxes with the main message "Raise tobacco taxes to protect our lives and families". Significantly increasing tobacco taxes will help reduce the number of minors who start smoking; protect the lives of thousands of people and women and children from the effects of passive smoking.
Third is the call: "Quit smoking today for your health and that of your loved ones" with the message: Smoking is very expensive. Cigarette smoke is like a silent killer that destroys your body, causes lung cancer, stroke, cardiovascular diseases and also seriously affects the health and happiness of those around you. Smoking and passive smoking are both dangerous to your health and that of your loved ones.
Fourth is the content about counseling and smoking cessation with the main message: Smoking can cause stroke, make you a burden to your family, and is also the cause of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, oral cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, and can even cause blindness.
If you are thinking about smoking, think about the harm it can do to you and your family. Quit smoking today for yourself and your family!
