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.