The health ministry’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) has called for less outdoor smoking. The HPA held a press conference Friday marking seven years since the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act took effect.
HPA figures show that from 2009 to 2015, exposure to second-hand smoke in no-smoking public areas dropped from 23.7% to 7.7%. This is largely due to a drop of exposure in indoor public areas from 27.8% to 6.4%. However, the HPA has found the exposure rate in outdoor areas has spiked from 36.2% to 55%.
HPA said the second hand smoke exposure rate on school grounds has decreased while young people’s exposure outside of school has gone up. For middle school and high school students, rates of exposure to second-hand smoke outside of school increased by around 2%.
The HPA also said that nearly 20% young people are exposed to second hand smoke every day. A HPA official said that this is because smokers go outdoors to smoke due to bans on indoor smoking.