Tuesday, 14 September 2010

TOBACCO ADVERTISING BAN 'WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE CAMBODIAN HEALTH OUTCOMES'

via CAAI

14/09/2010

Moves to ban tobacco advertising in Cambodia would be a major step forward in improving the health of the country's residents.

So claims Mom Kong, executive director of non-government organisation the Cambodia Movement for Health, who states that plans by the government to introduce regulations against all tobacco-related advertising and promotions next year will play a crucial role in stopping would-be smokers from developing the habit.

"Tobacco advertising helps to attract children to smoking and makes it difficult for smokers to quit. Banning advertising would be an effective measure to prevent youth and children from smoking," he tells Inter Press Service.

Doing so would see the Cambodian government meet a key element of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires all governments signing up to the treaty to "undertake a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship" within five years.

The news provider points to World Health Organization figures showing 49 per cent of Cambodian males over the age of 15 smoke, compared to 44 per cent in Thailand.

Earlier this month, Ou Kevanna, manager of the National Nutrition Programme at the Health Ministry’s National Maternal and Child Health Centre, claimed that there will always be a difference in the health of rich and poor people in the country, as the latter are unable to make it to hospitals with modern medical equipment.

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