The impact of the anti-smoking campaign in Singapore.

Abstract

The Singapore National Smoking Control Programme was launched by the government's National Smoking Control Coordinating Committee in September 1986, under the Ministry of Health. Its theme is titled "Towards a Nation of Non-Smokers." The objectives are to prevent youths from starting to smoke by health education and smoking cessation services, to protect the rights of non-smokers and to tighten existing smoking regulations and increase excise taxes. The program began in December 1986 with a 3-month intensive media campaign and a smoke-free week. A national survey on smoking in July 1987 including 78,600 persons showed that smoking had declined 26% since a comparable survey in 1984. Smoking prevalence had fallen from 5.1% to 2.9% of youths, and form 24.6% to 17.4% of adults aged 45-49 years. Smoking is more prevalent among Malays than Chinese, and among male unemployed, production, transport and labor workers. It is lowest in secondary school educated women. Singapore's 1987 prevalence ranks 11th among 11 countries whose smoking prevalence was published by WHO in 1985.