XN000022-1983-08-14 — Page 3

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 1983

DEATHS CAUSED BY LUNG CANCER CONSTITUTED 7.3 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS IN 1982. SMOKING CAN ALSO CAUSE CANCERS IN THE MOUTH, THE THROAT, THE OESOPHAGUS, THE ANUS, AND THE PANCREAS.

IN ADDITION, DR KHOO POINTED OUT THAT SMOKERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM AND DIE OF STOMACH ULCER, THE REASON BEING STOMACH ULCERS IN SMOKERS ARE RELATIVELY HARD TO CURE. AND WOMEN SMOKERS WHO TAKE CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BLOOD CLOT

IN THE VEINS.

HOWEVER, DR KHOO POINTED OUT THAT IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO STOP SMOKING, BECAUSE THE EARLIER A SMOKER GIVES UP SMOKING, THE GREATER IS THE REDUCTION OF HIS RISK OF HAVING THESE DISEASES.+

SMOKING DOES NOT ONLY AFFECT THE SMOKER HIMSELF, BUT MAY HAVE HARMFUL EFFECTS ON THE NEXT GENERATION. TO PROVE HIS POINT, DR KHOO SAID, A CHILD WHOSE MOTHER SMOKES DURING PREGNANCY WILL BE SMALLER THAN OTHER BABIES AT BIRTH. EVEN AT THE AGE OF SEVEN, HIS PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ADAPTABILITY WILL BE SLOWER.+

THE MASS RALLY ORGANISED BY THE ANTI-SMOKING PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PUBLICITY DRIVE WAS ATTENDED BY MANY SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, DOCTORS AND NURSES, PERSONALITIES FROM THE ENTERTAINMENT FIELD, DISTRICT LEADERS AND VOLUNTARY GROUPS. IT ALSO ATTRACTED THOUSANDS OF SPECTATORS, MANY OF WHOM TURNED UP WITH ANTI-SMOKING PLACARDS DESIGNED BY THEMSELVES AND TOOK PART IN A MASS WALK IN SUPPORT OF THE WORTHY CAUSE.

THE PLACARD DESIGN COMPETITION RECEIVED GOOD RESPONSE FROM THE PUBLIC. OUT OF SOME 100 ENTRIES, THREE BEST ONES WERE SELECTED BY A PANEL OF JUDGES HEADED BY MR HENRY CHING, SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE. THE WINNERS EACH RECEIVED A PRIZE VALUED BETWEEN $500 AND $2 000 IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION.

TROPHIES WERE ALSO PRESENTED TO WINNERS OF THE INTER-TEAM PLACARD COMPETITION, AND GAME STALLS DESIGN COMPETITION.

IN ADDITION, PRIZES WERE AWARDED TO WINNERS OF THE ANTI-SMOKING SLOGAN COMPETITION RUN BY RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG.

VISITORS TO THE RALLY HAD AN ENJOYABLE TIME WATCHING STAGE PERFORMANCES BY WELL-KNOWN SINGERS AND TV ARTISTES, FOLLOWED BY MAGIC AND ACROBATIC SHOWS. THEY ALSO HAD A CHANCE TO TRY OUT 20 DIFFERENT STALL GAMES, ALL OF WHICH WERE DESIGNED TO CONVEY THE ANTI-SMOKING MESSAGE.

THE HEALTH ADVICE CENTRE PUT UP BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE QUIT-SMOKING VAN MANNED BY THE ADVENTIST HOSPITAL PROVED EXTREMELY POPULAR, ESPECIALLY AMONG PEOPLE WHO WISHED TO GIVE UP SMOKING,

THE EVENT CAME TO A CLOSE AT 5 PM. IT WAS RECORDED BY RTHK AND WILL BE BROADCAST ON RADIO 11 BETWEEN 12 NOON AND 1 PM ON AUGUST 21.

/3