No Smoking Campaign � Life at Its Fullest

Mladi.info

31 January 2006

The Bureau of Public Health of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, in cooperation with four elementary schools from Mostar started a campaign to mark 31 January � No Smoking Day. The official slogan of the campaign is �No Smoking � Life at Its Fullest�. The campaign is organized under the Orkdal project, with support by the Nansen Dialogue Centre Mostar.
The central event of the campaign took place at the Spanish Square in Mostar. The campaign aims to promote healthy lifestyles free of tobacco and promote the citizens� right to clean air � free of tobacco smoke.

The past research conducted by the Bureau of Public Health, 55% of the population in the Canton are active smokers, 25% of whom are heavy smokers (consume more than 20 cigarettes daily).

The situation is more encouraging among school age children and youth, with 14% of children smokers between the ages of 11 and 14, and 16 percent among the youth between 15 and 18 years of age. The percentage of smokers is somewhat higher among 16-year olds, positioned at 23%.

The breakdown of smokers among the different professions shows that largest proportion of smokers could be found with the media professionals (52%), healthcare services (51%), administration and education (44%), followed by the pensioners (42%), university students (39%), NGO employees (38%) and housewives (24%). This data is a fine indicator for the future research.

The B&H Law on Tobacco and Tobacco Products entered into force in 1998, and it aimed to reduce and eliminate the unwanted exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace, restaurants, public transportation, public gatherings and events, etc. Unfortunately, the Law is not adequately implemented.