Minja Kim Choe: SMOKING AMONG ASIAN YOUTHS REACHING EPIDEMIC NUMBERS
Date: 08-24-2001
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SMOKING AMONG ASIAN YOUTHS REACHING EPIDEMIC NUMBERS
HONOLULU (Aug. 24) -- Smoking among Asian teens is reaching epidemic proportions, according to statistics compiled by the East-West Center. In Indonesia, 89 percent of young men are smoking before they reach age 20, in Thailand 81 percent, and the Philippines 70 percent.
"Women have more barriers to smoking but they are starting to crash them," said Minja Kim Choe, a population and health specialist at the Center. "In some countries they’re starting to catch up. It's very scary."
The statistics were compiled through an East-West Center network of surveys on Asian Young Adult Reproductive Risk. The surveys look at risk-taking behavior in six countries between 1994 and 2000.
The numbers reflect estimates by the World Health Organization that deaths due to smoking will jump fourfold in Asia by the year 2030 as compared to a 50 percent increase in developed countries. Smoking is predicted to become the leading cause of death worldwide in the next 20 years.
Choe said the explosive growth of smoking in Asia is due to many factors, including demographics; permissive parental attitudes; lax government regulations; and economic development that enables more Asians to afford cigarettes, which are already relatively cheap. Foreign tobacco companies see Asia's youthful population as a target market.
She said Asian countries have shown "weak political commitment to controlling the tobacco industry due to its economic impact and jobs. But health care costs can exceed the economic benefits." The exception is Thailand, where a group of dedicated health professionals have started an aggressive counterattack against smoking among youths.
The surveys show that smoking among teens in Asia is highly correlated with other risk-taking behaviors such as drug use and premarital sex. Choe noted that smoking can become "the first step to other addictions such as alcohol and drugs."
Possible steps for fighting the problem include comprehensive health education, school-based preventive programs, parent education, community programs, and more regulation of the tobacco industry. "Some public health advocates say it's like fighting malaria -- kill the carriers of the disease."
Minja Kim Choe can be reached at (808)944-87475 or mchoe@hawaii.edu