Page 109 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Nevertheless, there are still 28.8% of current smokers express that attempts to quit in the past one year but have failed to quit smoking (male 28.5%, female 32.1%)123, among which 67.2% of interviewees have expressed that the duration of smoking cessation lasted less than 1 month. Note: 1. Source: Smoking-related information of the general public collected via telephone interviews conducted by the HPA for the "Adult Smoking Behavior Survey". 2. Questionnaire item: "Have you smoked more than 5 packs of cigarettes (about 100 sticks) by this time?","Do you still smoke every day, occasionally, or none at all?", "Did you attempt to quit smoking in the last 12 months? (Quit smoking means complete abstinence from smoking)". If the respondents gave the answer of "I don't have smoking habits", "have given up smoking for more than 1 year", or "I don't know / not sure", "others", or "refused to answer", these questions will be omitted. 3. Values were based upon the Taiwan region household census of 2000 carried out by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DGBAS). Weight adjustments were carried out according to gender, age, education background, and characteristics of the area of residence. Smoking cessation services As for the awareness and utilization of smoking cessation resources by the general public, only 23.9% of all interviewees (without prompting) are aware of smoking cessation services provided by health units including outpatient smoking cessation and relevant courses and hotlines if no reminders are provided. Among smokers who have unsuccessfully attempted to quit smoking, only 7.5% and 7.8% point out that they have utilized outpatient smoking cessation services and smoking cessation drugs purchased in pharmacies as smoking cessation methods within the past 12 months. However, 63.7% state that they rely on their own willpower. As a result, 39.5% of smokers have attempted to quit smoking and plan to make another attempt within the next 12 months are unable to kick the habit and continue to indulge in their addiction. This may be explained by their inability to utilize available smoking cessation resources in the most effective manner. Smokers with severe nicotine addictions, in particular, need professional assistance and smoking cessation services. The Administration appeals to heavy smokers to fully utilize diverse smoking cessation services and resources, seek professional assistance from doctors, and determine suitable smoking cessation methods in cooperation with professional medical personnel based on addiction level assessments. If smokers have any questions, they may call the free smoking cessation hotline (0800-636363) to enable counseling personnel to design personalized smoking cessation plans covering the three dimensions of body, mind, and spirit to help them overcome their addictions and say goodbye to cigarettes as early as possible. Awareness of tobacco hazards Tobacco products are the leading cause of death in many countries and second-hand smoke has been categorized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a "Group 1 Carcinogen". Research has proven a strong correlation between tobacco products and 6 major causes of death (tumors, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, and kidney diseases. They also increase the risk 14 different types of cancer and may directly cause lung, oral, pharynx, throat, bladder, and esophagus cancer. They represent an indirect cause of neck cancer, leukemia (AML), stomach, liver, kidney, pancreatic, colon, and cervical cancer. Statistics released by the WHO reveal that tobacco use, which is a preventable cause of death, kills over 7 million people each year. The economic cost is immense (health care costs and productivity losses amount to a total of over 1.4 trillion USD. In Taiwan, 25,000 people die from smoking and 3,000 people die from the effects of such exposure. Every 20 minutes one person dies from first- and second-hand smoke exposure. In addition, 2.64 million and 230,000 people, respectively, contract diseases due to exposure to first- and second smoke. These diseases lead to medical expenses totaling 65 billion USD and overall economic losses of 185.8 billion USD (average losses of almost 6,000 USD per second). This clearly indicates that smoking generates a huge economic burden for societies. In a report on tobacco hazards published by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smokers were 2 to 6 times more likely to 107 Research, Monitoring, and International Exchange