Second-hand Smoke Exposure Rises In The City, Though Overall Smoking Rate Remains Low

The smoking rate in Shanghai last year was 18.6 percent, the same as the previous year. The figure was 37.4 percent for males and 1.4 percent for females, while the e-cigarette usage rate reached 1.1 percent.

Though the overall smoking rate remained one of the lowest in the nation, the second-hand smoke exposure rate among non-smokers was 42 percent, up 4.1 percentage points year on year.

For college students, the overall smoking rate was 4.2 percent, with 6.6 percent among male students and 1.7 percent among female students. Their e-cigarette usage rate was 1.3 percent, local health authorities said on Saturday, the World No Tobacco Day.

This year marks the 16th anniversary of the implementation of the Shanghai Regulation on the Control of Smoking in Public Places. The violation rate of smoking bans in regulated venues has dropped from 37.5 percent before the regulation took effect to 12.6 percent. A total of 98.2 percent of residents support indoor smoking bans, and 87.16 percent of the public are aware of the hazards of smoking, a rise of 21 percentage points. Public awareness of tobacco control has kept improving across the city, health officials said.

To further regulate smoking control campaign in the city, China's first manual for design and application of tobacco control signs was officially launched, offering standardized sign deployment and refined tobacco control management. A set of tobacco control-themed emojis was also released to popularize related knowledge among young netizens in a lively way.

Authorities noted that tobacco and second-hand smoke pose severe health risks. Shanghai will further improve relevant regulations and smoke-free environment management, strengthen supervision over key public areas, mobilize more volunteers, and protect teenagers from tobacco hazards, striving to build a healthier and better city.