Seminar on Smoking-Control Tactics in 21st CenturyA group of renowned Chinese and foreign experts in the study of prohibiting smoking and officials from World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, the UN Children's Fund and other international organizations recently assembled in Beijing to attend a symposium on smoking-control tactics wherein they discussed and explored such tactics suited to China's national condition.Experts unanimously agreed that smoking-control has become an important public health problem of urgent concern. At present, among China's population, 63 percent of male adults and 4 percent of female adults are smokers; according to the WHO estimate, in China about 1 million people die of smoking-related diseases each year and the number will rise to 2 million annually by 2020. While reviewing China's current tobacco situation and the smoking-control work, the experts also discussed the factors affecting juvenile smoking, exchanged experience in controlling smoking at home and abroad. They noted that to effectively control smoking, it is necessary to intensify legislation and law-enforcement, step up efforts in publicity and education, strengthen community activity and give priority protection to children, juveniles and pregnant women. |
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