Date:2018-9-28 11:49:08 Clicks:386 【Font Size:
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The World Health Organization Representative Office in Viet Nam (WHO Viet Nam), in collaboration with key tobacco control partners, today launched a three-month social media campaign around the theme of “Respect” (#HãyTônTrọng in Vietnamese), aiming to promote a smoke-free environment for healthy living.
The campaign urges all people – smokers and non-smokers – to respect the law and respect others’ health by taking action to stop indoor smoking, thereby reducing exposure to second-hand smoke. WHO has developed the hashtag, #Respect (#HãyTônTrọng in Vietnamese), and brand image for this campaign.
The campaign materials will be posted at the official Facebook account of WHO Viet Nam and of the co-sponsoring partners (including the https://www.facebook.com/vn0khoithuoc and https://www.facebook.com/byebyekhoithuoc and others). The public is encouraged to support the campaign by sharing the posts on these accounts, making supportive comments, creating tobacco-related posts with the #Respect (#HãyTônTrọng) hashtag, logo, and using the #Respect Facebook profile frame.
The campaign launches on 27th September, to coincide with the Third United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in New York.
This way, we also aim to highlight how smoking remains one of the leading causes of NCDs, and call for political commitment and public support to address the challenge
Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Viet Nam
Collective efforts from the government and tobacco-free initiative partners have led to declines in the rate of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in public places across Vietnam. Between 2010 and 2015 exposure declined in residences (73.1% to 59.9%), workplaces (55.9% to 42.6%), and public transportation (34.4% to 19.4%). However, the rate of exposure has remained significantly high in selected places, such as restaurants (80.7%). The #Respect campaign is designed to deliver further decreases in the rate of exposure to second-hand smoke in public places.
#Respect is a collaborative campaign among organizations championing tobacco-free initiatives in the country. Joining WHO are (in alphabetical order) Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (TFK), Community Research and Development Services (CDS), Trung tâm Nghiên cứu Chính sách và Phát triển (DEPOCEN), Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), HealthBridge Viet Nam, Thuongmai University, Viet Nam Public Health Association (VPHA), and Vital Strategies. “We are very happy and encouraged that many tobacco control partners have joined with WHO in support of this campaign” added Dr Park.
"There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke," said Tom Carroll, Senior Advisor, Policy, Advocacy and Communication, Vital Strategies. "Engaging social media users and encouraging non-smokers to speak up will help improve compliance with Viet Nam's smoke-free laws, protecting the health of smokers and non-smokers, especially women and children. We're proud to support this campaign and congratulate Viet Nam's tobacco control partners for their leadership."