Protect children from the harmful effects of tobacco

In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) chose the message "Protecting children from the effects of the tobacco industry" as the theme for World No Tobacco Day (May 31).

Implementing the propaganda plan in response to World No Tobacco Day, medical centers in the province have focused on widely promoting in the community and schools.

Recently, the Si Ma Cai District Health Center has disseminated information about the harmful effects of tobacco to more than 400 students of Sin Cheng High School No. 2. During the dissemination session, district health workers provided students with knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking and new tobacco products on themselves and those around them; the role and responsibility of each individual in preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco products; distributed leaflets, displayed billboards and posters about the harmful effects of new tobacco products, and had direct dialogue with students to improve the effectiveness of the dissemination.

Nicotine in tobacco products is highly addictive and causes great harm to the development of the adolescent brain. Nicotine causes serious short-term and long-term consequences such as addiction, cognitive and emotional disorders, reduced learning ability, and mental disorders. Nicotine exposure is also particularly harmful to the health of mothers and fetuses during pregnancy, causing premature birth, stillbirth, and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Affected by cigarette smoke, young children can suffer from asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
Mr. Ma Quang Hai, Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control.

Currently, new types of cigarettes such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are very popular in the market, causing serious health concerns for young people. If not prevented in time, due to their high addictive potential and rapid spread in the community, electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products will create a new generation addicted to nicotine and other addictive substances.

To protect children from the effects of tobacco, the education and training sector has been coordinating with the health sector to implement many measures to strengthen propaganda. All educational institutions in the area have signs prohibiting smoking; promote the role and responsibility of managers and teachers in implementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, building a smoke-free environment; integrate the content of prevention and control of tobacco harms into lectures of subjects and educational activities.

Implementing the official dispatch of the Department of Education and Training on implementing educational guidance documents integrating tobacco harm prevention into subject lectures and educational activities at secondary level, the Department of Education and Training of Muong Khuong district has directed secondary schools and schools with secondary level to study the documents and implement them strictly and effectively.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the professional groups of Muong Khuong Town Secondary School discussed, agreed on methods and organized the timely and effective implementation of tobacco harm prevention content in lectures of many subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Biology... Civic education is one of the subjects that focuses on introducing tobacco prevention content into teaching and is suitable for many lesson contents.

Teacher Trinh Thanh Ngan said: In the lessons "Dealing with psychological stress", "Preventing and combating school violence" of the subject Civic Education grade 7, I integrate the content of the harmful effects of new tobacco products, the burden of diseases caused by tobacco use into teaching. With the lessons "Protecting the environment and natural resources", "Preventing and combating domestic violence" of the subject Civic Education grade 8, we integrate the content of teaching about toxic components in cigarette smoke, diseases caused by smoking, economic losses of tobacco use... Integrating content into subjects through teaching, showing related images and videos, helps students become interested and absorb knowledge faster.

In response to this year's World No Tobacco Day, in addition to organizing rallies, localities are also stepping up inspection, examination and handling of violations related to tobacco, especially acts of trading and using tobacco that are not in accordance with the law.

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