School-based tobacco-use prevention--People's Republic of China, May 1989-January 1990

Tobacco consumption has increased markedly in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the 1960s (1,2). In 1984, when the prevalence of cigarette smoking was 61% among men and 7% among women, approximately 250 million persons in PRC smoked tobacco products (1). In 1988, among junior high school students in PRC, 34% of boys and 4% of girls reported smoking at least occasionally (3). To increase public knowledge of the health consequences of cigarette smoking, promote healthier attitudes among elementary school students, and motivate fathers who smoke to quit, the Zhejiang Center for Health Education developed and implemented a school-based smoking-intervention program in the Jiangan district of Hangzhou from May 1989 through January 1990. This report summarizes an assessment of this program.