HPB to introduce anti-tobacco education in schools

SINGAPORE — The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is implementing new initiatives to reduce the prevalence of adult smoking in Singapore to 12 per cent by 2020.

This includes a new anti-tobacco education programme to be introduced in all mainstream schools by 2017, and the increase in smoking cessation touchpoints from 150 to 600 by 2020.

The touchpoints include retail pharmacies and healthcare institutes where smokers can receive counselling and tips to quit smoking.

HPB’s tobacco control strategy involves bringing programmes to schools to prevent smoking initiation among youths, and improving accessibility to smoking cessation programmes to encourage smokers to quit.

Recent findings from the National Health Surveillance Survey 2013 showed that long-term efforts to reduce smoking-related diseases in Singapore have shown some results.

The rate of adult smoking prevalence has stabilised at 13.3 per cent in 2013, compared to 13.6 per cent in 2007. There was also a significant drop in smoking prevalence among those aged 18 to 29 years, from 17.2 per cent in 2007 to 13.7 per cent in 2013.

The HPB said this decrease is an encouraging indicator that its long-term efforts to prevent initiation of smoking and early intervention among youths are beginning to yield results.

In addition, the HPB will leverage school-based mental well-being programmes to promote resilience and positive self-esteem to help youths develop the self-awareness and ability to say no to social influences that may encourage tobacco use.

To mark the World No Tobacco Day, HPB has launched its annual National Tobacco Control campaign, “I Quit”.

This year, HPB aims to get 10,000 smokers to take the pledge to start their journey to quit by signing up for the “I Quit 28-Day Countdown”.

To encourage more smokers to take up the challenge, the campaign will expand its outreach and support network with an increased number of roadshows. CHANNEL NEWSASIA