Anti-smoking media positive in Vietnam

Greater opposition to smoking after media campaigns

 

Mego Lien, Communication Associate at the World Lung Foundation (WLF), said both smokers and non-smokers in Vietnam had responded to clear messages about the dangers posed to health by smoking and second-hand smoke. Lien was speaking at a meeting in Hanoi on 5May between WLF, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization to announce the results of a national mass-media campaign to build support for the ban on smoking in indoor workplaces, indoor public places, and public transport which took effect on 1 January this year.

Lien said ‘Smokers who saw the [anti-smoking] ads said they were more concerned about their own health and the health of their families. Many even said they were more likely to quit.’ The importance of changing people’s attitudes towards smoking and showing the benefits of smoking cessation is crucial in improving population health in light of the fact that 50 percent of adult males in Vietnam smoke, according to Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of Medical Services Administration and Standing Office for the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health.

Source: Thanh Nien News.com, 8 May 2010.

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