SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1986
SMOKING HABIT CONTINUES TO DECLINE
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RESULTS OF THE LATEST SURVEY ON THE SMOKING PATTERNS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOWED THAT THE SMOKING HABIT HAS CONTINUED TO DECLINE.
RELEASING THE FINDINGS TODAY OF THIS EXERCISE WHICH WAS CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY IN JULY THIS YEAR, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS PLEASED WITH THE CONTINUAL DECLINE FROM THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION DAILY SMOKERS TO NEARER 700 000.
+ IT SHOWED THAT THE MESSAGE OF THE DANGERS OF SMOKING WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN PROMULGATING WAS CONTINUING TO GET THROUGH.
+HOWEVER, THE DECLINE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IS NOT AS FAST AS IT WAS IN THE PREVIOUS TWO WHEN IT WAS THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FASTEST IN THE WORLD, HE SAID.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT HE WAS NOT SURPRISED THAT THE DECLINE WAS LESS STEEP THAN PREVIOUSLY, BECAUSE THE YEARS 1982-4 HAD SEEN A MAJOR NEW PUSH IN THE FORM OF THE INITIATION AND LEGISLATION OF AN ANTI-SMOKING POLICY, AND OF A STEEP RISE IN PRICES.
HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE DECLINE WOULD CONTINUE UNDER THE IMPACT OF THE 1986-7 ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN AND WITH THE IMMINENT CREATION OF THE COUNCIL ON SMOKING AND HEALTH WHICH WOULD HAVE FULL-TIME STAFF DEVOTED TO ANTI-SMOKING EDUCATION.
A TOTAL OF 14 000 PEOPLE WERE INTERVIEWED IN THE SURVEY ON SMOKING HABITS.
+ SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING FINDINGS RELATE TO THE AGE AND SEX OF HONG KONG SMOKERS+, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
AS HAD BEEN HIGHLIGHTED IN RECENT INTERNATIONAL PUBLICITY ON THE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG'S ANTI-SMOKING MOVEMENT THROUGH AN ARTICLE IN THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, HONG KONG'S SMOKING PROFILE IS UNUSUAL.
FIRSTLY, VERY FEW WOMEN SMOKE. THE PERCENTAGE HAS REMAINED STABLE AT FOUR PER CENT.
THE FIGURE FOR MEN IS 31 PER CENT, NEARLY A THRID OF THE ADULT MALE POPULATION. BUT THE SPOKESMAN SAID THIS WAS AT LEAST AN ENCOURAGING DECREASE FROM 40 PER CENT IN 1982.
+AS LONG AS WOMEN ARE NOT TAKING UP THIS DANGEROUS HABIT,+ HE SAID, +WE ARE UNLIKELY TO SEE THE DIFFICULTIES NOW FACING THEM IN THE WEST, WHERE WOMEN ARE BECOMING THE MAJORITY AMONGST SMOKERS BECAUSE OF SIMILAR DECLINES IN MALE SMOKING FIGURES.+
/SECONDLY,