Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE smoking rate among people aged 15 and above in Shenzhen has dropped to 19.1% in 2022, lower than the 20% target proposed at the “Healthy China 2030” blueprint, according to the latest report released by the Tobacco Control Office of Shenzhen ahead of the World No Tobacco Day, which falls on today.

The city’s tobacco control office released two reports Monday, which looked into cigarette smoking in adults and law enforcement results of the city’s tobacco control regulations last year.

The Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control led the survey, with its respondents and nonsmoking places widely distributed in the city’s nine districts and Dapeng New Area.

According to the survey, 4.3% of the respondents aged 15-24 were using e-cigarettes, the highest among all age groups.

The second-hand smoke exposure rate of nonsmokers aged 15 and above in Shenzhen was 50.5%, while secondhand smoke exposure rate at home was 17.4% and 20.4% at indoor workplaces.

The overall posting and qualification rates of no-smoking signs in Shenzhen were high, both exceeding 80%. However, the posting rate of no-smoking signs on online ride-hailing vehicles was only 21.2%, the report showed.

Illegal smoking in various venues has dropped to 16.6%, and it was more likely to be seen at internet cafes/arcades, bars and bus stops or Metro station entrances, according to the report.

Since Shenzhen’s tobacco control regulations took effect March 1, 2014, the city has imposed a cumulative fine of over 7.42 million yuan (US$1.05 million) on illegal smokers and over 940,000 yuan on venues that have violated anti-smoking rules, official data showed.