The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) launched a campaign for Smoke Free Homes in Hanoi on May 31, aimed at collecting 1 million signatures in one month until June 30.
The campaign, in response to World No Tobacco Day 2010 initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), will focus on raising public awareness against harms of smoking, especially second hand smoke that threatens the health of women and children in the family.
WHO will help fund training courses for women union officials in smoking control, design media coverage on the harms of smoking and speed up the campaign at all levels.
International experts at the event said World No Tobacco Day 2010 is aimed at protecting women from second-hand smoke and marketing campaigns by tobacco companies. The move is also to focus on raising men’s responsibility in smoking far away from women in both public place and at homes.
Vietnam is among countries with highest rates of male smokers in the world with 56.1 percent of men being smokers, according to WHO.
The Ministry of Health’s 2009 report showed that up to 40,000 people died of smoke-related diseases a year, quadrupling the road accident death tally.
However, public awareness against the negative impact of smoking, especially second hand smoke, remained poor./.
The campaign, in response to World No Tobacco Day 2010 initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), will focus on raising public awareness against harms of smoking, especially second hand smoke that threatens the health of women and children in the family.
WHO will help fund training courses for women union officials in smoking control, design media coverage on the harms of smoking and speed up the campaign at all levels.
International experts at the event said World No Tobacco Day 2010 is aimed at protecting women from second-hand smoke and marketing campaigns by tobacco companies. The move is also to focus on raising men’s responsibility in smoking far away from women in both public place and at homes.
Vietnam is among countries with highest rates of male smokers in the world with 56.1 percent of men being smokers, according to WHO.
The Ministry of Health’s 2009 report showed that up to 40,000 people died of smoke-related diseases a year, quadrupling the road accident death tally.
However, public awareness against the negative impact of smoking, especially second hand smoke, remained poor./.
