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Tobacco Control Policy in ChinaAbstractThe fact that China is the most populous nation on earth is also the reason why smoking is at the center of controvery. The huge population means more smokers hence more profits. On the flipside of it, millions of people die from smoke-associated diseases such as cancer. Moreover, curative measures eat into billions of dollars of government money that would have been used on other developmental projects. Any bid to control smoking in such a backdrop is therefore met with all manner of resistence and collusion from a host of companies and incorrigible government officials. This paper examines the poor outcomes of the tobacco control policy measures of China. It will also look at how China embarked on the implementation of MPOWER measures and whether or not the response to the measures experienced lukewarm response characteristic of a developing country. The urban population that is educated enough has shown a keen interest in smoking cessation and compliance with other measures such as restrictions to smoke in specified places. It was only in rural places that policy measures did not succeed as expected. The allegation that conflict of interest is the reason is farfetched. With the improvement in education levels, the policy measures will yield successful results in due course.Table of Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Objectives 4 FCTC mandate 4 MPOWER package of policies 4 GATS (Global Adults Tobacco Survey) 2010. 5 Ban smoking at workplace 5 Offering help to smokers to quit 5 Health warnings regarding the dangers of tobacco use 6 Enforcement of bans on Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. 6 Smoking prevalence in China 6 Reasons for smoking 7 Barriers to implement tobacco control policies at village level 8 Suggestions for effective tobacco control 9 Simulation of the impact of tobacco control policies 9 Impact of FCTC /MPOWER measures 10 Provincial level legislation and lessons learnt 10 Predictors of quitting behaviours among adult smokers in six cities in China 11 Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) 12 Barriers and challenges to FCTC in China 12 Discussion 13 What ails tobacco control in china? 14 Conclusion 16 References 17Introduction Tobacco is a highly addictive substance affecting millions of people around the world who are dependent on it (Li, Feng, Jiang, Yong, Borland, & Fong, 2011). Tobacco consumption has been the primary reason for inevitable mortality throughout the world (WHO, 2015). Lung cancer has been the global cause of 1.4 million deaths annually. The National Office on Tumour Cure and Prevention reported that China has more than 600,000 lung-cancer-related deaths every year. The WHO estimates that this annual lung cancer mortality in China would reach 1 million by 2025. The disease results in an enormous economic burden on both families and societies. Chinese Statistical Yearbook states that the number of in patients with lung cancer dramatically increased from 174,066 in 1999 to 364,484 in 2005 (Yang et al., 2010). The cost of expenses on patients increased annually from $ 2.16 billion to $ 6.33 billion showing an average increase of 16.15 % in total expenditure. The increase in cost is also attributed to technological advancement pushing the cost of diagnosis and therapy (Li et al. 2008). Smoking is the well established as a principal risk factor for lung cancer. In China, the …
