What’s the best way to ensure that China’s elementary schools aren’t sponsored by tobacco companies? Ban tobacco advertising, the World Health Organization says.
The WHO is urging China to kill all advertising for tobacco products, as tobacco companies have found loopholes in existing ad restrictions that have enabled them to promote products in unexpected places—on toys or even at primary schools.
The prevalence of tobacco advertising in China has influenced younger generations, persuading them to become future smokers, said Dr Schwartländer.
Nearly nine out of 10 Chinese children aged 5 and 6 can identify at least one cigarette brand, and roughly one of five say they expect to smoke when they grow up, according to a Johns Hopkins University study on the effects of tobacco marketing on children in low- and middle-income countries.
