Electronic screens on skyscrapers in Shanghai display the slogan “Smoke-free Shanghai”. [Photo/IC]
Nine local government departments in Shanghai have jointly issued a notice aimed at reducing secondhand smoke exposure outdoors and promoting a smoke-free healthy environment in the city.
That’s according to a statement released by the Shanghai Municipal Health Promotion Center on Dec 11.
The notice outlines specific requirements for individuals and venue managers at eight types of outdoor locations, including queuing and waiting areas.
This builds on the city’s September regulation, which urged smokers to refrain from smoking while walking and to confine smoking to designated areas.
The unveiling of the notice by the departments – including the Social Work Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission – is a landmark moment.
It marks the first provincial-level, multi-departmental initiative on the Chinese mainland designed to address secondhand smoke exposure outdoors and to minimize the effects of passive smoking.
According to a survey conducted by the center and other institutions in recent years, outdoor queuing areas — like those at scenic spots, outdoor playgrounds, bus stops and entrances to shopping malls and office buildings — were of concern to the public. They were seen as being among the venues where people felt most exposed to secondhand smoke.
Survey respondents also said smoking was common when pedestrians were waiting at traffic lights.
The survey also found people raised strong concerns regarding secondhand smoke exposure at school entrances during student drop-off and pick-up times, at hospital building entrances and subway station exits.
The notice responded to such concerns. Measures detailed in it are said to include boosting staff training on the health hazards of tobacco and techniques to persuade individuals from smoking at the spots, the installation of no-smoking signs and health warnings, as well as the deployment of volunteers to discourage smoking at such public spaces.
“No-smoking reminders will be added at voice broadcasts at intersections, where such facilities are equipped – and at bus stops, no-smoking signs will be posted or spray-painted on the ground,” reads the notice.
By March, 200 designated outdoor smoking zones for demonstrations were introduced in the city.
They included those at commercial complexes, sports centers, parks, public transportation hubs, hotels and at waterfront public areas. The number is projected to reach 300 by the end of this year.
Research published in November in the esteemed international journal
The Lancet Public Health
, by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University, highlighted the positive impact of Shanghai’s comprehensive smoke-free legislation that was implemented in 2017.
The municipality started banning smoking in indoor public spaces that year.
The study showed the prevalence of smoking decreased by 2.2 percentage points in the city following the enactment of the law, equivalent to a decrease of about 8.4 percent in the number of current smokers.
“Economic modeling projections showed that nationwide implementation of similar smoke-free legislation could increase China’s GDP by 0.04 percent to 0.07 percent by 2035, driven by improvements in health outcomes, savings in medical expenses and enhanced human capital,” said the research paper.
One highlight in Shanghai’s tobacco control efforts was the inclusion of e-cigarettes in the smoking ban in public places in 2022. Official data showed that cigarette and e-cigarette usage rates among middle school students in Shanghai were now the lowest among the 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland.
By 2030, Shanghai aims to bring the passive smoke exposure rate to below 36 percent for adult nonsmokers and below 10 percent for minors. The equivalent figure for adult nonsmokers was 41.7 percent in 2022, itself a drop of 9.8 percentage points on the previous year.
The latest figures, from 2023, showed that adult smoking rate in Shanghai dropped by 7.5 percentage points to 19.2 percent since the tobacco control legislation was enacted, allowing the city to achieve the target set in the Health China 2030 Initiative ahead of schedule.
,https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20241213/205bbb34c61a49fcb2ec2f9587536b63.html