Addicted generation

ThaiHealth warns that growing number of female smokers will spark health crisis

After almost a third of female Thai smokers surveyed admitted they took up the habit before they were 13 years old, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has warned of a looming health crisis.

"We are afraid that the number of female smokers will rise in the future," ThaiHealth manager Dr Supakorn Bua-sai said yesterday.

In a 2007 survey of 3,093 girls and women between the ages of 13 and 24, 6.4 per cent admitted to being smokers. Of those, 31.4 per cent said they took their first puff before the age of 13.

But ThaiHealth also reports finding positive signs that anti-smoking efforts are working.

Supakorn said the number of smokers stood at 9.45 million in 2007 - a drop of 1.08 million from the 2001 figure.

"Cigarette sales have decreased significantly too," he said, citing sales figures that show 168 million less packets have been bought so far this year than at the same point in 2007.

Snuffing out smugglers

"We plan to clamp down on fake and smuggled cigarettes between 2010 and 2012," Supakorn added.

In related news, ThaiHealth deputy manager Krissada Ruan-areerat said his agency was now accepting proposals on how to improve the quality of life in local communities.

"We welcome proposals from residents, not just non-governmental organisations or academics," he said.