e-Bulletin July 2026
HIGHLIGHTS |
World No Tobacco Day
Unmasking Industry Tactics, Empowering Families, and Pioneering a Smoke-Free Hong Kong
Visual credit: World Health Organization (WHO)
The tobacco industry continues to evolve its strategies – using synthetic nicotine and analogues to target youth, making the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2026, protecting young people from addiction, particularly urgent. In Hong Kong, second-hand smoke remains a major public health challenge. It exposes about one in three children at home and worsens respiratory diseases like asthma. Yet many parents remain unaware of the true extent of this impact.
To address this, the “Quit for Kids” initiative, led by Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee of our School, combines home air quality monitoring, child saliva cotinine testing, and personalised support. By making invisible risks visible, the programme helps smoking parents quit, equips caregivers with communication skills, and raises children’s awareness to create truly smoke-free homes.
With an estimated 580,000 to 615,000 daily smokers in Hong Kong, quitting remains difficult, yet traditional healthcare training offers only fragmented support. To bridge this gap, our School now offers a new inter-professional course in smoking cessation counselling to undergraduate medical and pharmacy students at the HKU LKS Faculty of Medicine. Through comprehensive case scenarios and role-play, students gain practical experience evaluating nicotine dependence, managing withdrawal, and tailoring support based on patients’ readiness to quit. The training covers brief clinical advice, emerging alternatives such as e-cigarettes, and structured frameworks to drive more effective, coordinated patient outcomes. This initiative positions our graduates at the forefront of tobacco cessation, empowering them to lead healthier communities.
In terms of evidence-based policy advocacy, our School continues to lead the fight. Since the 1990s, our research has laid the scientific groundwork for Hong Kong’s tobacco policies. Most notably, Professor Lam Tai-hing and his team’s pivotal studies on second-hand smoke directly informed the landmark indoor smoking ban of 2007, shielding millions from involuntary exposure.
Looking ahead, our School remains committed to achieving a smoke-free Hong Kong. On World No Tobacco Day 2026, we reaffirm our dedication to developing innovative strategies, exposing harmful industry tactics, and creating environments where tobacco-free living becomes the norm for all.