Page 51 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

The prevention of the hazards of tobacco children's reading survey The Health Promotion Administration has developed a series of "Smoke-free Family Play Books" for young children between 2011 and 2012 to ensure that tobacco rejection concepts and courage are deeply rooted in the minds of local people from a very young age. The goal is to incorporate tobacco hazards prevention into teaching materials for preschools, kindergartens, and elementary schools by utilizing children's language and multimedia experiences. Teachers are encouraged to use these tobacco rejection materials in accordance with student characteristics to firmly implant tobacco hazard prevention and reinforce the awareness of smoke-free concepts in the minds of children. An additional 40,000 copies were printed in 2017 to facilitate the promotion of smoke-free family concepts in all cities and counties of Taiwan and protect children from tobacco hazards. In 2018, the kindergarten conducted an online questionnaire survey on Google and obtained 1,805 questionnaires, with a recovery rate of about 70%. Up to 98% of the teachers believed that the reading was suitable for kindergarten students, and 96% of the teachers were willing to use the same reading book to educate the children on the prevention of the hazards of tobacco, with 98% satisfaction on the reading content. The results can be used as the basis for subsequent plans. Tobacco Control at the County and City Level In order to promote public support and awareness for tobacco control, strengthen the stance against smoking, ensure continued public compliance with the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, maintain a tobacco-free environment, reduce smoking rate, and reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, local health bureaus have integrated various educational, healthcare, and community resources to carry out a selection of relevant promotional educational courses, lectures, and activities for tobacco control (a total of 6,594 such events were held in 2018). In addition to key topics based on different themes and periods, the HPA released press reports on tobacco control. These reports were also released through a diverse selection of public broadcasts and media channels such as televisions, radio, advertisement trucks, outdoor billboards, and LED walls at major traffic intersections. The purpose is to improve public understanding of various educational concepts and promote awareness for the importance of tobacco control so as to build a public consensus and support for tobacco control. People would then be able to work together and establish a smoke-free environment, eliminate smoking Hazards from their lives, and reduce the size of the smoking population in the country. Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and Complaints Hotline More and more people became more aware of the hazards of second-hand smoke and were thus more eager to defend their rights and interests. Hence, the HPA established the Tobacco Hazards Complaints Helpline in 2003 that provided the public with a channel for complaint. 49 Reducing the Demand for Tobacco