On October 8, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Training held a direct communication session on the prevention and control of tobacco harms, particularly e-cigarettes, for students in Can Tho city (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – There have been numerous
incidents of students requiring due to nicotine
poisoning and other chemicals present in s and heated cigarette
products, according to the Ministry of Health’s Department of Medical Service
Administration.
The department said in a document sent to Departments of Health in
provinces and cities that the use of electronic nicotine delivery (END)
products and heated tobacco products (HTPs) is on the rise among students.
Many students have had to be rushed to the emergency room due to
nicotine poisoning and the harmful substances in e-cigarettes and heated
cigarettes.
The department said, besides the well-known harmful effects of
regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes also pose potential
risks and contribute to social evils, such as drug abuse and other addictive
behaviours, which adversely affect the health and lifestyle of adolescents.
Moreover, these products cause immediate and long-term harm to
health, the economy and society. The department urged more communication
and awareness-raising efforts about the dangers of these products.
To further reinforce communication and prevent the use of all
tobacco products, the department suggested that provinces and cities’ health
departments advise the People’s Committees of provinces and cities to issue
directives, instructing departments, branches, and media agencies to regularly
propagate the harmful effects of ordinary cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated
cigarettes.
Localities should promptly enforce regulations to prohibit the use
of these products in agencies, offices, and educational and training
institutions; enhance inspection activities; and strictly deal with cases of
buying, selling, and using e-cigarettes, heated cigarettes, and shisha.
Departments of health should collaborate with relevant media
agencies and units to disseminate information on the harmful effects of
e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes to civil servants, public employees, and
employees at agencies and organisations, as well as people in the area.
The content can be integrated into meetings, seminars,
conferences, agencies, units and community events.
Furthermore, health departments should work closely with education
and training departments to provide information and widely disseminate the
harmful effects of new tobacco products to pupils, students, officials, and
teachers at educational institutions. Healthcare facilities should also
actively provide information about the harmful effects of new tobacco products
to patients, their family members, and people in the community.
During a scientific conference organised by the Ministry of Health
and the Ministry of Education and Training in 2022 to share research results on
tobacco use among students aged 13-15 years old in Vietnam, data revealed that
the rate of tobacco use among this age group increased from 0.2% in 2014 to 0.8%
in 2022.
The use of new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated
cigarettes is also on the rise among young people.
The rate of e-cigarette smoking among those over 15 years old
increased from 0.2% in 2015 to 3.6% in 2020, with an especially high rate of
7.3% among the 15-24 age group. Among students aged 13-15 years old, the rate
of e-cigarette use is 3.5%, with male students at 4.3% and female at
2.8%.
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products contain nicotine, along
with approximately 15,500 flavourings, many of which are toxic and can have
negative health effects. They also pose a risk of fire and explosion and can be
mixed with other substances, such as cannabis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that
e-cigarettes are more harmful than traditional cigarettes and can cause
premature health effects or interstitial lung disease, which progresses rapidly
and has a worse prognosis than lung cancer. Furthermore, e-cigarettes do not
have the same effect as regular cigarettes in aiding smoking cessation./.
Source: VietnamPlus
