Anti-Booze, Smoking Campaign Wins Praise: Thailand

[webfact]

Anti-booze, smoking campaign wins praise

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In its 10th anniversary this year, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF)'s crusade against tobacco and alcohol use has been widely regarded as successful and worthwhile, a Bangkok seminar marking the occasion was told yesterday.

THPF's budget is collected from levies imposed on tobacco and alcohol. Even if it was no longer supported, and the public had to shoulder this cost to keep society free from such abuse, 70 per cent of respondents in a poll said they would be willing to carry the financial burden to keep the fight going, a THPF researcher told the seminar.

Asst Prof Montharat Thaworncharoensap, citing a related study, said minimising drinking and smoking among young people, or encouraging drinkers and smokers to cut or quit, had seriously reduced the cost of medical treatment for disease in the community.

Montharat cited the opinions of 7,311 people aged 15-65 years living in 11 major cities and Bangkok. She found of the 70 per cent willing to support the foundation, 2,439 would pay Bt50 annually for projects against tobacco abuse; 2,456 would pay Bt50 in the case of alcohol; and 2,432 were happy to pay Bt100 for measures covering accidents and emergencies.

For promotion of nutrition and the prevention of food hazards, 2,427 would pay Bt50 each year; 2,432 would pay Bt100 for promotion of personal health and exercise, and 2,427 would pay Bt20 for marketing communications for social purposes.

However, only 41 to 45 per cent of respondents in another survey said they were aware of THPF operations.

One of THPF's many key challenge areas is among people with low income and education, who are by default heavier drinkers and smokers than other groups.

A study of the benefits of giving up smoking found that money saved by a male smoker quitting at 30, 35 and 40 years of age would be: Bt71,000, Bt55,000 and Bt42,000, respectively.

For female smokers the savings would be Bt40,000, Bt31,000 and Bt23,000.

If smokers quit at these same stages of life, a male smoker's life would be lengthened by 1.4, 1.7 and 2 years. The figures for a female smoker would be by 0.6, 0.8 and 1 year.

On alcohol consumption, financial losses for a male drinker - calculated on treatment for sickness, drop in quality of performance in career and lost work due to premature death - would amount to Bt19,000 for occasional drinking; Bt307,000 for "dangerous drinking" and Bt360,000 for "extremely dangerous drinking".

The figures for a female drinker in the same criteria are Bt28,000, Bt202,000 and Bt240,000.

The THPF's performance has been evaluated by the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) and the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Programme (HITAP). THPF is working on a new set of criteria and evaluation methods for future projects for long-term use.

The secretary-general of the National Health Commission Office of Thailand, Amphol Jindawatthana, a speaker at the event, said THPF had been a major force behind successful attempts to reduce abuse of tobacco and alcohol. He was not uncomfortable that less than half the people surveyed were aware of THPF's roles and operations.

-- The Nation 2012-05-23

[jaltsc]

"He was not uncomfortable that less than half the people surveyed were aware of THPF's roles and operations."

Perhaps they had diificulty reading the report due to the all the cigarette smoke from people smoking at the next table interfering with the visibility...or maybe they were just too drunk to see the print.

[Thai at Heart]

Indeed an incredibly successful campaign so far; Lol

Considering the government itself owns TTM, there is a massively profitable chop chop industry that isn't in any way taxed or controlled for "political" reasons, and booze is by type not alcohol content, I would think these people have been doing absolutely nothing for the last 20 years.

[zakk9]

Where is that ROFL button when I need it.... ah, there

On a more serious note, the attitude towards alcohol is shocking in great parts of this country. I know people in rural areas who get drunk every single day of the week, and even more shockingly: They seem to think that it somehow enhances their position in society. They keep saying "I am drinking alcohol" (the only English words they know) with a passion as if they had found pure gold in their backyards

[spirit47]

My cigarettes taste much better than the smoke from ricefields after harvest or trash-burning. But I agree that alcohol is a problem, not only the nightriders, alcohol make stupid and sick, look like Zombies.

[gand]

widely regarded as successful

Yes, there is still plenty of both.

[ThaiRich]

Yeah, great success. All I have to do is stand outside the local mom and pop shop's and watch all the young teenagers stopping and buying cigarettes after school or even better go later in the evening and watching all the 16 and 17 year old boys buying beer and cheap whiskey. It has been a great success. The crazy thing is usually they are still in their school uniforms.

[ratcatcher]

Yeah, great success. All I have to do is stand outside the local mom and pop shop's and watch all the young teenagers stopping and buying cigarettes after school or even better go later in the evening and watching all the 16 and 17 year old boys buying beer and cheap whiskey. It has been a great success. The crazy thing is usually they are still in their school uniforms.

Exactly what I have contended all along. The government has got it all bass ackwards.

I can go into my local "mom & pop" bottle shop any time between 2pm and 5pm and buy all the alcohol I want, for cash. They'll even sell to teenagers.

However if I am shopping at Tesco at 3pm and want a bottle of wine with dinner, I am refused. Frankly I am very surprised the major supermarkets, Tesco, Big C, Makro, Tops, Villa, Foodland etc have not petitioned the government regarding the loss of sales and inconvenience to customers.

After all, I doubt any of them get a group of schoolchildren wanting to buy beer or liquor and they have security and controls at cash registers..

Of course this topic is all about alcohol and its abuse. getting beer or lao khao up country at any time is simple, most places will sell to anyone as they need the business.

What the government needs to focus on is the terrible abuse of alcohol by poor people who often spend their lives in a drunken state.

They also need to focus on entertainment venues where patrons consume large amounts of alcohol and then attempt to drive home..

[jerrysteve]

When bar say, "buy me dink," Does dat mean sode pop?. Make mine a double gin and tonic with a lemon twist (absolute gin please)!

Does that mean the Police have to stop drinking on the Job?

[Bagwan]

The figures representing cost savings were interesting although, like most pronouncements, I wonder about their accuracy. The message that it doesn't really matter how much money you have, it is what you do with it that matters has yet to reach Thailand. Perhaps some authority would care to carry out a survey to ascertain how much money would be saved, or put to a useful purpose, if all the tattooists were closed down. A graph showing the relationship between those with tattoos and their level of education and intellect would be illuminating.

BTW I admit to being a smoker for 61 years and a moderate drinker for a similar period but tattoos are my personal bête noire. Sorry about that but I accept and am comfortable in the body that the Good Lord gave me, and fail to see the point of any 'adornments'.

[chrisinth]

Yeah, great success. All I have to do is stand outside the local mom and pop shop's and watch all the young teenagers stopping and buying cigarettes after school or even better go later in the evening and watching all the 16 and 17 year old boys buying beer and cheap whiskey. It has been a great success. The crazy thing is usually they are still in their school uniforms.

Exactly what I have contended all along. The government has got it all bass ackwards.

I can go into my local "mom & pop" bottle shop any time between 2pm and 5pm and buy all the alcohol I want, for cash. They'll even sell to teenagers.

However if I am shopping at Tesco at 3pm and want a bottle of wine with dinner, I am refused. Frankly I am very surprised the major supermarkets, Tesco, Big C, Makro, Tops, Villa, Foodland etc have not petitioned the government regarding the loss of sales and inconvenience to customers.

After all, I doubt any of them get a group of schoolchildren wanting to buy beer or liquor and they have security and controls at cash registers..

Of course this topic is all about alcohol and its abuse. getting beer or lao khao up country at any time is simple, most places will sell to anyone as they need the business.

What the government needs to focus on is the terrible abuse of alcohol by poor people who often spend their lives in a drunken state.

They also need to focus on entertainment venues where patrons consume large amounts of alcohol and then attempt to drive home..

It really is one of my pet hates, the restriction times for selling alcohol and cigarettes. The reason (as I have always understtod it) that this "law" was introduced was to deter school kids from buying booze and cigarettes. So the powers that be close the outlets when the children should be in school!

In a country where it is a requirement for all citizens to carry their ID cards, would it not have been simpler to ask any suspect customer to show their ID's instead of passing another stupid law?

[gand]

Yeah, great success. All I have to do is stand outside the local mom and pop shop's and watch all the young teenagers stopping and buying cigarettes after school or even better go later in the evening and watching all the 16 and 17 year old boys buying beer and cheap whiskey. It has been a great success. The crazy thing is usually they are still in their school uniforms.

Exactly what I have contended all along. The government has got it all bass ackwards.

I can go into my local "mom & pop" bottle shop any time between 2pm and 5pm and buy all the alcohol I want, for cash. They'll even sell to teenagers.

However if I am shopping at Tesco at 3pm and want a bottle of wine with dinner, I am refused. Frankly I am very surprised the major supermarkets, Tesco, Big C, Makro, Tops, Villa, Foodland etc have not petitioned the government regarding the loss of sales and inconvenience to customers.

After all, I doubt any of them get a group of schoolchildren wanting to buy beer or liquor and they have security and controls at cash registers..

Of course this topic is all about alcohol and its abuse. getting beer or lao khao up country at any time is simple, most places will sell to anyone as they need the business.

What the government needs to focus on is the terrible abuse of alcohol by poor people who often spend their lives in a drunken state.

They also need to focus on entertainment venues where patrons consume large amounts of alcohol and then attempt to drive home..

It really is one of my pet hates, the restriction times for selling alcohol and cigarettes. The reason (as I have always understtod it) that this "law" was introduced was to deter school kids from buying booze and cigarettes. So the powers that be close the outlets when the children should be in school!

In a country where it is a requirement for all citizens to carry their ID cards, would it not have been simpler to ask any suspect customer to show their ID's instead of passing another stupid law?

Or is it to get them to stop drinking after lunch?