Tianjin Adult Tobacco Survey: 30% of Non-Smokers Exposed to Secondhand Smoke

Yesterday, the Tianjin Adult Tobacco Survey was released, showing that among adults aged 15 and above in the city, there are 899,000 current smokers, with a smoking rate of 22.1%. The male smoking rate is 41.1% (832,000), while the female smoking rate is 3.3% (67,000), with daily smokers averaging 15 cigarettes per day.

The survey results indicate that in the past 12 months, 16 out of every 100 current smokers (16.4%) have attempted to quit at least once. Only 1 in 10 current smokers plans or considers quitting in the next 12 months. Among smokers who visited healthcare professionals in the past 12 months, only 66.5% were advised to quit.

In the past 30 days, 43.1% of adults (779,000) were exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor workplaces. About 3 out of 10 non-smokers (34.1%, 477,000 people) were exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor workplaces. 37.0% of adults (1.481 million) were exposed to secondhand smoke at home, with 25.2% of non-smokers (783,000) exposed at home, including 16.9% of males and 30.1% of females. Among adults who visited various public places, 95.5% were exposed to secondhand smoke in bars, 80.8% in restaurants, followed by 40.3% in primary and secondary schools (with an indoor secondhand smoke exposure rate of 10.0%), 34.6% in government buildings or offices, 18.4% in medical institutions, 18.0% in universities, and 9.4% in public transportation.

According to 2013 data, smokers spend only 5.45% of their disposable income on tobacco each year. In urban areas of Tianjin, 50% of smokers purchase cigarettes priced below 9.5 yuan per pack. The median annual expenditure for current smokers on purchasing manufactured cigarettes is 1,778.4 yuan.

In urban areas, 95.4% of adults are aware that smoking causes lung cancer (91.7% of smokers and 96.4% of non-smokers), and most adults also agree that smoking leads to stroke and myocardial infarction (66.1% and 74.9%, respectively). Only 32.1% believe that smoking can cause erectile dysfunction. The proportion of those who believe secondhand smoke can lead to heart disease in adults is only 74.3%; 42.6% of adults admit they lack knowledge about the harms of light, mild, and low-tar cigarettes; only 28.9% of adults believe that the harms of light, mild, and low-tar cigarettes are similar to those of regular cigarettes.

Although the "Tianjin Smoking Control Regulations" have been in effect for two years, the awareness rate of smoking bans in public places still needs improvement. The top three places with the highest awareness rates are taxis (77.2%), primary and secondary schools (67.9%), and hospitals (67.3%). Experts from the Tianjin CDC believe that strengthening smoking control supervision and law enforcement, as well as multi-department collaboration, is necessary. Each smoking control supervision and law enforcement department should establish a routine smoking control inspection system, increase the intensity and frequency of supervision and inspection in key places, and enhance communication and collaboration among departments to establish a long-term smoking control law enforcement mechanism. Additionally, strengthening smoking control publicity and knowledge about the harms of tobacco smoke can effectively raise public awareness of the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke, guiding people to stay away from the harms of tobacco smoke. Furthermore, creating smoke-free places, especially government agencies, should play a leading role in encouraging more industries and units to actively join the smoking control efforts.