Taiwan's Ministry of Health: Monitoring and Preventing Teenage Smoking Behavior

According to the Taiwanese media World Journal on May 13th, the junior high school entrance examination will be held on May 18th and 19th. The Health Bureau is urging parents to pay attention to their children's stress levels, provide timely and correct guidance, and prevent students from engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking.

According to the survey data from the Health Promotion Administration of the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, the e-cigarette usage rate among junior high school students has reached 3.9% and is showing an upward trend. Russell Ling, head of the Tobacco Control Division at the Health Promotion Administration, pointed out that now is the critical period for students preparing for exams, with many students experiencing immense pressure, which may lead to overeating, and even smoking and drinking.

According to the Department of Health's annual survey of smoking behavior among junior high school students, the smoking rate among junior high school students decreased from 2.8% in 2018 to 2.2% in 2021. Additionally, the use of heated tobacco products decreased from 2.0% in 2018 to 0.8% in 2021. However, the e-cigarette usage rate increased from 1.9% in 2018 to 3.9% in 2021. In comparison, the smoking rates of traditional cigarettes and heated tobacco products have decreased, while the e-cigarette smoking rate has increased.

Russell Young emphasized that smoking does not truly alleviate stress. Despite smokers always claiming that smoking can reduce stress and relax the mind, research shows that smokers actually have higher stress levels than non-smokers. The body's dependence on nicotine may provide a short-term sense of relaxation, but soon smoking is needed again to keep emotions in check. Moreover, nicotine not only leads to addiction but also increases stress and harms health.

Smoking habits can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as lung cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Developing a smoking habit during adolescence not only leads to various illnesses, but also affects social and psychological development. Due to the difficulty of overcoming nicotine addiction, individuals may continue smoking for their entire lives.

Russell Ing issued a warning, "Do not believe in the idea that smoking can relieve stress anymore.

The World Health Organization has pointed out that smoking e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products can expose people around to secondhand smoke containing nicotine and toxic carcinogens, increasing the risk of respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and lung diseases, as well as affecting the brain development of adolescents.

Russell Young is urging parents to not only focus on their children's academic performance, but also to interact with them more and understand their feelings in order to prevent children from using smoking and other substances to relieve stress and adjust their relationships. At the same time, parents and other family members who smoke should set a good example and lead by quitting smoking. In addition, the Department of Health is collaborating with nearly 3,500 medical institutions across Taiwan to provide professional smoking cessation services to the public, and has set up a free smoking cessation hotline to safeguard everyone's health.