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• Smoking increases risk of developing active TB 

Smoking is a risk factor for active tuberculosis (TB) disease, according to a new study on TB incidence in Taiwan.

The research analyzed data from nearly 17,000 individuals in Taiwan as part of Taiwan's 2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

While past studies have reported increased mortality among TB patients who smoke, none have been able to specifically examine the direct effect of smoking on active TB incidence using a longitudinal design in a general population. "In this prospective cohort study we found a two-fold increase in the risk of active TB in current smokers compared with never-smokers," said lead author, Hsien-Ho Lin, postdoctoral research fellow from Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

The results are reported in the September 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.

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• Foundation slams firms that sell ‘cute’ cigarettes 

“Many young ladies, perhaps because they are unable to consume enough servings of fruit, believe that by smoking peach [cigarettes], they are getting the same amount of nutrition as they would from a real peach.” — Lin Ching-li, director of the John Tung Foundation’s Tobacco Control Division

Tobacco companies that sell cigarettes in cute or fashionable packaging in an attempt to attract young ladies may be violating new tobacco rules, a foundation said yesterday.

Under the new Tobacco Hazard Prevention and Control Act (菸害防制法) that took effect on Jan. 11, businesses can be fined if they encourage the purchase of cigarettes by means of advertisement posters, electronic panels, animation, bonus points or any discount program, placing more than one box of cigarettes on the counter and selling candies, snacks or toys in the form of cigarettes.

Despite the tighter regulations, tobacco companies still market fruit-flavored cigarettes to young ladies to give the impression that smoking these cigarettes has the same health benefits as eating fruit, the anti-smoking group John Tung Foundation said.

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• Taiwan bans smoking in all indoor public areas 

Taiwanese authorities on Sunday banned smoking in all indoor public places in what campaigners say is a "milestone" in turning Taiwan into a smoke-free island.

Smoking had previously been banned in public areas including hospitals, schools, theatres, libraries, office buildings and elevators.

Under the new law, it is banned in all other public facilities such as hotels, restaurants, karaoke bars, Internet cafes and roofed transport stations.

Those caught lighting up in smoke-free facilities will face fines of up to 10,000 Taiwan dollars (300 US dollars).

"The new law is a milestone in making Taiwan a smoke-free country," said Lin Ching-li, spokeswoman for the non-profit John Tung Foundation, one of the lobbying groups behind the campaign.

Airports have closed their smoking rooms and local air carriers are barred from voluntarily selling cigarettes to passengers during flights under the new law.

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• Most still unclear on coming new anti-smoking regulations  

New anti-smoking regulations will take effect throughout Taiwan this Sunday, Jan. 11, but many are still unclear on the revised Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

The new regulations are considerably stricter and fines are much heavier than in the past, said Chen Mei-ju, chief of Taipei City's health promotion division.

According to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, smoking is completely prohibited in public spaces such as schools, children and youth welfare institutions, and indoor workplaces jointly used by three or more persons.

Smoking in designated areas is allowed in outdoor areas of public spaces such as universities and colleges, libraries, museums, art galleries, stadiums, and swimming pools.

Smoking is allowed in indoor areas of hotels, shopping malls, restaurants or other business locations for public consumption only if these have separate smoking partitions with independent air-conditioning systems. . . .

According to the John Tung Foundation, a pioneer in anti-smoking efforts in Taiwan, the organization has received over 500 phone inquiries regarding the new regulations in the past month.

To help the public better understand the new laws, the foundation has created a "top 10" list of most frequently asked questions.

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• DOH head to share Taiwan's experience in anti-smoking drive at WHA  

Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan said Sunday that if he can attend the annual conference of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May, he will share Taiwan's experiences in fight against smoking with other participating countries.

Yeh made the remarks while attending an event promoting smoke-free taxis ahead of the Jan.11 implementation of the revised Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that imposes a strict ban on smoking indoors in public places, including on taxis.

Noting that Taiwan is on par with, or even outperform, Singapore, Hong Kong and Scandinavian countries in efforts to establish a smoke-free environment, Yeh said he looks forward to sharing Taiwan's experiences in this regard with other countries at this year's conference of the WHA-- the top decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), a U.N. specialized agency.

Although Taiwan is no longer a WHO member since its expulsion from the United Nations, Taiwan's health minister has since 1997 consistently headed a delegation to Geneva in May when the WHA convenes its annual meeting to convey Taiwan people's desire to have a voice in the WHA. Because of China's opposition, Taiwan's DOH minister usually could only be seated in the WHA conference hall's public gallery.

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• TAIWAN: Media guilty of promoting smoking, research study says 

The media may be guilty of promoting smoking among young people, with many cartoons ranking among the top television programs that show characters smoking, a recent study found.

The study on cigarettes and smoking conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion monitored various types of television programs, television news, movies, magazines, marketing events and electronic games between July and September. The results showed that cigarette smoking scenes showed up an average of 12.55 times in movies this year. This is 20 to 26 times as much media exposure as in television shows, National Communications Commission commissioner Chung Chi-hui said.

Several movies that have topped box office sales contain scenes with characters smoking, including Cape No. 7, Lust, Caution, Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, she said.

From 1999 to last year, 171, or 73 percent, of movies and television programming produced by the Walt Disney Company or one of its divisions contained smoking scenes, the study showed.

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• NGOs urge shops to get ready for cigarette law  

With only two weeks until the new Tobacco Hazard Prevention and Control Act (菸害防治法) takes effect, civic groups yesterday urged shop owners who sell cigarettes to make sure that their display areas comply with the new law.

The new regulations, effective on Jan. 11, not only prohibit smoking in public spaces, but also stipulate that owners of establishments that sell cigarettes, including convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and betel nut stands, may not actively market or display tobacco-related ads.

The regulations will also apply to airplanes and duty-free shops at airports.

“Under the new rules, any place that sells cigarettes is limited to ‘letting the customer know the cigarette brand and price.’ Any action beyond this limitation is considered a violation,” said Yau Sea-wain (姚思遠), president of the John Tung Foundation.

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• Taiwan Legislature fails to raise tobacco tax  

The Legislative Yuan Monday failed to pass any hikes in tobacco taxes, despite a wide range of proposals.

Lawmakers filed varying proposals to raise the current NT$10 tax per packet of 20 cigarettes to NT$15, NT$20 or NT$40 to discourage smoking, but because they failed to reach a consensus, the topic of higher cigarette taxes was referred to further negotiation.

Ruling Kuomintang legislator Chang Shuo-wen proposed a hike to NT$40 while rejecting allegations he was trying to sabotage any rises. He said smaller increases would not work if the aim was to discourage smoking altogether.

Some lawmakers pointed out a contradiction in the government’s plans for the hike. “The country sells tobacco, but also bans tobacco,” said KMT legislator Lee Hung-chun, calling on the government to sell the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation.

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• Movies, TV featuring too much smoking 

Health officials have urged movie producers to reduce or eliminate scenes of smoking in their products for the sake of improving public health.

They said parents should also help children and teenagers in the family eschew programs containing too many scenes related to smoking or tobacco products.

The Bureau of Health Promotion under the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) conducted a survey of electronic media programs before the more restrictive anti-smoking regulations are set to take effect on Jan. 11, 2009.

The survey found that children and teenagers in Taiwan have been exposed to a high frequency of smoking scenes, especially in the movies.

Officials at the bureau pointed out that movies contain 20 times more smoking scenes or related images than in television programs.

Some popular movies like “Shaolin Soccer”, “Kungfu Hustle” and “Lust, Caution” favored by teenagers show smoking scenes or messages at a rate of every one or two minutes.

“Kungfu Hustle” has the highest number of scenes related to smoking.

Even the newest blockbuster “Cape No. 7” has 29 scenes, averaging one for every four minutes in the popular movie.

Even young children cannot escape from the smoke. One example was cartoon movie “One Piece” that has one scene about smoking in every episode. The frequency for “Crayon Shinchan” is 0.67 scene in each episode.

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• Media guilty of promoting smoking, research study says  

The media may be guilty of promoting smoking among young people, with many cartoons ranking among the top television programs that show characters smoking, a recent study found.

The study on cigarettes and smoking conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion monitored various types of television programs, television news, movies, magazines, marketing events and electronic games between July and September. The results showed that cigarette smoking scenes showed up an average of 12.55 times in movies this year. This is 20 to 26 times as much media exposure as in television shows, National Communications Commission commissioner Chung Chi-hui (鍾起惠) said.

Several movies that have topped box office sales contain scenes with characters smoking, including Cape No. 7 (海角七號), Lust, Caution (色戒), Kung Fu Hustle (? and Shaolin Soccer (少林足球), she said.

From 1999 to last year, 171, or 73 percent, of movies and television programming produced by the Walt Disney Company or one of its divisions contained smoking scenes, the study showed.

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• Meet the four-year-old cigar addict!  

A four-year-old boy is being treated in a Taiwanese rehab for his addiction to cigars.

The boy and his brothers, also below 10 years, were taken to the Taiwanese rehab centre after their dad caught them stealing his tobacco.

When asked about their addiction, the boys said that they did it because they thought their father looked "cool" when he smoked.

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• Group fights ‘La Rose’ cigarettes 

State-owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTL) came under fire yesterday from the anti-tobacco John Tung Foundation over last week’s relaunch of “La Rose 520” menthol cigarettes, which the group said was obviously aimed at expanding the smoking population among women and the young.

“In the 21st century, when other advanced countries are devoting increased efforts to tobacco control among women and the youth, it is inconceivable that a government-owned corporation would conspire to harm the health of this group in our nation,” said Lin Ching-li (林清麗), director of the non-governmental organization’s tobacco control division.

The cigarettes sport heart-shaped filters, pink packaging and are rose-flavored, Lin said, adding that the number “520” corresponds to president-elect Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration date.

“The number is also commonly used by younger generations as meaning ‘I love you’ because the number sounds like the phrase in Mandarin,” he said.

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• Most kids are victims of second-hand smoke: poll 

As many as 90 percent of children surveyed by the Formosa Cancer Foundation identified themselves as victims of second-hand tobacco smoke, with the majority exposed to the hazard at home.

The results of the survey were released yesterday to coincide with "World No Tobacco Day," whose theme this year is tobacco-free youth.

The survey showed that while more than 90 percent of respondents wish to live in a smoke-free environment, 70 percent have family members who smoke at home and another 60 percent have been forced to breathe second-hand smoke exhaled by a guest. . . .

In related news, the John Tung Foundation, the nation's biggest anti-smoking non-profit organization, has called upon bureaus of health nationwide to fine convenience stores for not excluding cigarettes from giveaway promotions.

After collecting a certain number of purchase coupons at convenience stores -- including cigarettes -- customers can redeem them for collectible giveaway figurines. The foundation argues that such giveaways could encourage smoking, especially among younger people, who are most likely to be attracted to the figurines.

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• Smoking accelerates men's hair loss  

While Asian men generally have less trouble than Caucasians with the most common form of hereditary male baldness, smoking cigarettes may erase that edge, researchers have said.

Smoking may destroy hair follicles, interfere with the way blood and hormones are circulated in the scalp or increase the production of estrogen, said Lin-Hui Su of the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and Tony Hsiu-Hsi Chen of National Taiwan University in Taipei.

A look at 740 men in Taiwan with an average age of 65 found cigarette use played an important role "in the development of moderate or severe" hair loss, Su and Chin said, in cases where the men smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day.

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• Tainan City government mulls smoking ban in selected areas 

The Tainan City government is considering weather or not to impose a smoking ban on business districts and cultural and school areas in the future after it successfully imposed a smoking ban on two downtown streets.

According to the Central News Agency, the city government has drafted a smoking prevention act which will introduce a ban on smoking in crowded shopping districts and areas surrounding cultural centers and schools. The act is due to be forwarded to the city council for review in September, and it could be put into force by next year at the earliest. . . .

The city government's health department said that unlike the situation in Tokyo, it will be much more difficult to enforce smoking bans in Taiwan since the personalities of the countries' citizens differ quite a bit from each other. "The key to a successful smoking ban relies on the cooperation of local communities," the department added.

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