Community doctors help smokers kick habit

SHENZHEN — More than 1,000 community health centers across Shenzhen have installed a smoking cessation intervention module as part of China's goals to reduce smoker numbers. So far, the system has helped physicians screen over 13 million first-time patients for a smoking history and provide cessation services to more than 10,000 smokers.

The system uses automated computer prompts to flag tobacco use during routine medical visits. When 68-year-old Mr Chen arrived for a free health check-up, a prompt flashed on Doctor Fang Baolian's screen: "Do you smoke? Are you considering quitting within the next month? Would you like to be referred to a smoking cessation clinic?"

Chen, a pack-a-day smoker, agreed to participate. Within minutes, he was enrolled in a personalized support program that tracks patient progress at fixed intervals-seven days, one month, six months, and one year — monitoring lung function and carbon monoxide levels.

Chen's experience is part of Shenzhen's community-based smoking cessation services, where residents aged 15 and above are screened for smoking habits during their first visit and, if willing to quit, enrolled in personalized support programs.

Doctors conduct follow-up assessments on the seventh day, and at one, six and 12 months after a patient begins a quit attempt, tracking cessation progress as well as indicators like lung function and exhaled carbon monoxide levels.

Similar community-based initiatives are taking shape across China. From regular follow-up visits and carbon monoxide testing to family doctor support, online counseling groups and incentive programs, cities including Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, Suzhou and Taicang in Jiangsu province, and Wuhu in Anhui province are experimenting with a range of approaches to help smokers kick the habit.

Community-based services make professional support far more accessible, and standardized follow-up programs help reduce relapse risk and improve quit rates, said Li Min, a doctor in the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the Smoking Cessation Clinic at Beijing Chest Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University.

According to Li, community-based programs are particularly valuable because they can reach smokers who might never seek help from specialized cessation clinics.

"Even a brief two — or three-minute conversation with a community doctor can raise awareness among smokers who are not yet ready to quit and encourage them to reduce tobacco consumption," Li said.

Beyond cessation services, community-based inspections, public awareness campaigns and educational lectures are regularly organized to promote smoke-free lifestyles and highlight the health risks of tobacco use.

China has stepped up tobacco control efforts since implementing the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2006, introducing measures ranging from advertising bans and higher tobacco taxes to smoke-free regulations in public places.

Under the Healthy China Initiative (2019-30), the country aims to reduce the smoking rate among people aged 15 and above to 20 percent by 2030 and extend the coverage of smoke-free regulations to 80 percent of the population. To date, more than 250 cities nationwide have adopted local smoking control regulations. Official data shows that the national smoking rate among people aged 15 and above fell from 28.1 percent in 2010 to 23.2 percent in 2024.

Several major cities have already achieved the 2030 target ahead of schedule. Adult smoking rates have fallen to 18.6 percent in Shanghai, 17.4 percent in Shenzhen and 19.2 percent in Beijing.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the WHO China Representative Office presented the 2026 World No Tobacco Day Award to the Shenzhen municipal government in recognition of the city's broader achievements in tobacco control and the promotion of a smoke-free environment.

Despite such progress, experts say the challenge remains significant.

While China's smoking rate has continued to decline in recent years, the pace of improvement has slowed, according to Li. "Since 2022, the rate has fallen by less than one percentage point, compared with a decline of nearly five percentage points between 2010 and 2024," said the doctor.

Public awareness remains another challenge. Xiao Dan, president of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association, said knowledge of smoking-related diseases, the harms of secondhand smoke and evidence-based quitting methods remain limited among many community residents.

Misconceptions also persist, including the belief that ventilation can eliminate the harm caused by smoke or that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

Looking ahead, China plans to expand smoke-free campus initiatives and further standardize smoking cessation services in 2026, said He Qinghua, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the China Association on Tobacco Control for Health.

Authorities are working to integrate a wider range of cessation resources, such as clinical interventions and traditional Chinese medicine therapies, to make quitting more accessible and effective, He said.

XINHUA