PUBLISHED: 4 Dec 2024 at 04: 00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
About four in ten Thai father smoke tobacco, which most often has a negative impact on their kids, especially as more young people are vaping as the average period of vapers decreases annually, according to recent poll findings.
The study, conducted just on 1, 159 parents and other male friends who have a vital role in raising a baby from birth until six years of age, found that 39.8 % of respondents are smoking, said Asst Prof Wasin Siwaasarit, a professor at the Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University. Most ( 77.22 % ) smoke cigarettes, 12.36 % vape and the rest both smoke both, he said.
According to Asst. Prof. Wasin, about 20 % of respondents said they gave up smoking just because they knew they would stop smoking.
The majority ( 77.87 % ) of those who continue to smoke cigarettes do so because they are unable to stop despite knowing the habit could harm their children, he said.
However, these tobacco father admitted to having very little information about the health risks tied to vaping, especially what harmful chemicals the e-liquids contain, said the professor.
” Vapes are causing problems in Thai society”, said Dr Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, manager of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation ( ThaiHealth ).
He claimed that more than 16, 000 artificial flavors and carcinogenic heavy metals were found in cigarette juices, which cause inflammation in blood vessels and respiratory tissue cells.