New Report Highlights China’s Smoking Epidemic

A new report out this week sheds light on the growing smoking epidemic in China. China has 301 million smokers—almost the population of the United States—and few of them have any plans to quit smoking. That’s according a survey by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC).

The survey of 13,000 people found that more than half of all adult Chinese men are smokers.

Less than a quarter of adults believe smoking causes diseases like stroke or lung cancer. Only 16% are thinking about quitting in the next year.

According to the CCDC, there’s been little improvement in the smoking rate or exposure to second-hand smoke in the last eight years.

One reason so many people smoke may be affordability. A pack of cigarettes in China can cost less than 75 cents. The report also blamed ineffective warnings on cigarette packs, and weak anti-tobacco policies.

China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of tobacco. About a million people die each year in China from smoking-related diseases.

Foto: NTDTV