Measures adopted to control smoking have won Brazil international recognition. Photographs on cigarette packs are inspiring anti-smoking campaigns that are in the preparatory stages in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, and 25 European Community nations.
These countries are getting ready to adopt measures similar to the Brazil campaign.
The head of the Smoking Control Division of the National Cancer Institute (Inca), Tânia Cavalcante, explains that these countries will use the photos the same way as Brazil does on tobacco products.
“The purpose is to transmit information to the population on the real dimension of smoking risks,” she said.
“With each puff, a smoker inhales 4,700 substances, many of which are toxic and capable of causing cancer. These people need to be informed about this risk,” Cavalcante points out.
Through the Inca, Brazil also collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a center for the control of tobacco in Portuguese-speaking countries and Latin America.
The Brazilian effort is being used as a model for anti-smoking campaigns, a type of pilot project to train other developing countries.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of smokers is highest in places with low levels of income and schooling.
80% of world cigarette consumption is concentrated in developing countries.
Last month, Brazil’s Ministry of Health launched new photos on cigarette packs.
The wrapper images that illustrate the consequences of smoking are more shocking.
According to Cavalcante, everybody needs to acquire more information about smoking.
A study released by the Inca reveals that in a group of 2,216 smokers who were interviewed in Brazil, 56% believe that the warning photos are capable of making peóple give up smoking.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
