Page 41 - 2024 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report
P. 41

03 | An Environment Conducive to Health












                     M   ONITO     RI               P  ROTECTING                      O   FFERING
                                                                                      OFFERING
                     MONITORINGNG
                                                    PROTECTING
                       Long-term monitoring             Non-smoking and               Provide various types
                       of smoking rates and                tobacco-free               of smoking cessation
                             policies                      environment                      services


                                            The MPOWER measures





                       W    ARNING                   E  NFORCING                        R  AISING
                       WARNING
                                                     ENFORCING
                                                                                        RAISING
                         Tobacco container             Prohibition of tobacco         Tobacco taxes and the
                        health warning texts           advertising, promotion           Health and Welfare
                           and images                    and sponsorship                   Surcharge





                       in line with international standards and the    Ministry initiated an amendment to the Tobacco
                       implementation of the "Framework Convention     Hazards Prevention Act, which was approved
                       on Tobacco Control" and the "MPOWER"            by presidential decree on February 15, 2023,
                       strategy, the smoking rates among adults, junior   and the Executive Yuan announcement of its
                       high school students, and senior high school and   implementation from March 22, 2023. The
                       vocational students have been decreasing year   key  amendments  include a  comprehensive
                       by year. The rates have decreased from 21.9%    ban on the manufacturing, importation, sale,
                       in 2008 to 14.0% in 2022 for adults, from 7.8%   supply, display, advertising, and use of all
                       in 2008 to 2.2% in 2021 for junior high school   types of imitation tobacco products, including
                       students, and from 14.8% in 2007 to 7.2%        e-cigarettes; the requirement for health risk
                       in 2021 for senior high school and vocational   assessment review and approval for designated
                       students. Furthermore, the exposure rate to     tobacco products (including heated tobacco
                       secondhand smoke in public non-smoking areas    products) and their essential components before
                       has decreased from 23.7% in 2008 to 4.0% in     manufacturing, importation, or sale; expansion
                       2022.                                           of smoke-free indoor and outdoor public places,
                       The usage rates of e-cigarettes among junior    including universities, kindergartens, childcare
                       high school, senior high school and vocational   centers, and family childcare service facilities;
                       students have notably increased from 1.9%       prohibition of smoking in bars and nightclubs
                       and 3.4% in 2018 to 3.9% and 8.8% in 2021,      except in designated indoor smoking rooms
                       respectively. Within a short span of three      with independent air conditioning systems and
                       years, they have experienced rapid doubling,    separate compartment; raising the minimum
                       indicating the growing threat of e-cigarettes   smoking age for tobacco use to 20 years old;
                       to the  health  of adolescents.  In order to    increasing the size of health warning texts and
                       strengthen the protection of children and       images on tobacco product containers to 50%;
                       youth at various stages of development, the     prohibiting the use of additives announced by






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