Shanghai targets outdoor smoking

Nine departments in Shanghai have jointly issued a notice aimed at reducing secondhand smoke exposure outdoors and promoting a smoke-free, healthy environment, the Shanghai Municipal Health Promotion Center announced on Wednesday.

The notice outlines precise requirements for individuals and managers at eight types of outdoor venues, including queuing and waiting areas. It builds on a previous directive issued in September, which required smokers to refrain from smoking while walking and to use designated smoking areas.

The initiative, led by departments including the Social Work Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, marks the first provincial-level, multi-departmental effort on the Chinese mainland to address outdoor secondhand smoke exposure and minimize passive smoking.

A recent survey conducted by the Shanghai Municipal Health Promotion Center and other institutions highlighted outdoor queuing areas such as those at scenic spots, playgrounds, bus stops and entrances to shopping malls and office buildings as hotspots for secondhand smoke exposure. Survey respondents also noted frequent smoking at pedestrian traffic light stops.

Concerns about secondhand smoke at school entrances during student drop-off and pick-up times, hospital entrances and subway station exits were also strongly expressed in the survey.

The notice addresses these concerns with specific measures, including enhanced training for staff on the health hazards of tobacco and techniques to persuade individuals not to smoke, the installation of no-smoking signs and health warnings and the deployment of volunteers to discourage smoking in public spaces.

Additionally, "no-smoking "reminders will be added to voice broadcasts at equipped intersections, and no-smoking signs will be posted or spray-painted at bus stops.

By March, Shanghai had constructed 200 designated outdoor smoking zones at locations such as commercial complexes, sports centers, parks, transportation hubs, hotels and waterfront public areas. That figure is expected to reach 300 by the end of the year.

A study published in The Lancet Public Health in November by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University underscored the positive effects of Shanghai's comprehensive smoke-free legislation, which was first implemented in 2017. The study found that the prevalence of smoking in the city decreased by 2.2 percentage points, equating to an 8.4 percent reduction in the number of smokers.

The research also projected that nationwide adoption of similar smoke-free legislation could boost China's GDP by 0.04 percent to 0.07 percent by 2035 through improved health outcomes, reduced medical expenses and enhanced human capital.

A significant milestone in Shanghai's tobacco control efforts was the inclusion of e-cigarettes in the public smoking ban in 2022. Official data indicates that cigarette and e-cigarette usage rates among middle school students in Shanghai are the lowest among China's 31 provincial-level regions.

Shanghai aims to lower the passive smoke exposure rate to below 36 percent for adult non-smokers and below 10 percent for minors by 2030. In 2022, the passive smoke exposure rate for adult non-smokers was 41.7 percent, a 9.8-percentage-point drop from the previous year.

By 2023, Shanghai's adult smoking rate had dropped by 7.5 percentage points to 19.2 percent since the enactment of the tobacco control legislation, achieving the targets set by the Healthy China 2030 Initiative ahead of schedule.