| Summary: | Background and challenges to implementation
In Hong Kong, over 20% of the 641,300 daily smokers aged 60 years or
above. Public's awareness on smoking hazards has increased in recent years. But
elder people are misled by the misconceptions on smoking and underestimate the health
risks. Elder smokers have lower intention and knowledge on the smoking
cessation.
Intervention or response
In order to inform the tobacco hazards, clarify misconceptions and encourage elder smokers to quit, Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) launched the “Elderly Smoking Cessation Promotion Project” in 2012. Health talks and community smoke-free activities are organized. Non-smoking elderly are also engaged as smoke-free agents.
Results and lessons learnt
Since 2012, COSH has delivered over 140
sessions of health talk and reached over 10,000 elderly. To spread out the
smoke-free messages, radio promotions were produced and broadcasted in the channels
targeted at elderly. Various smoke-free promotion activities
were organized, including centre visits, pledge ceremony, street promotions,
photo exhibition and workshops, to increase elder smokers' motivation to quit
and arouse public's awareness and support to smoking cessation. The Project has
successfully trained about 60 elder volunteers as ambassadors, encouraged over 200 smokers to pledge
to quit smoking and engaged 900 elderly to promote smoke-free lifestyle. Mass public education and promotion may
not able to reach the elder population. They hold stronger misconceptions on
smoking cessation and are more reluctant to quit. Tailor-made and reach-out
intervention programmes should be developed to build up smoke-free concepts
among elderly. Collaborations with elderly service organizations could add
benefit to the interventions.
Conclusions and key recommendations
Elder smokers have comparatively low awareness on harms of smoking and
intention to quit. To address the specific need of elder population, COSH's
tailor-made Elderly Smoking Cessation Promotion Project strengthened their
knowledge on smoking hazards, cleared their myths of quitting and mobilized
elder smokers to quit, through an interactive approach and community engagement.
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