Abstract
BackgroundDespite the tremendous economic and health costs imposed on China by tobacco use, China lacks a proactive and systematic tobacco control surveillance and evaluation system, hampering research progress on tobacco-focused surveillance and evaluation studies.MethodsThis paper uses online search query analyses to investigate changes in online search behavior among Chinese Internet users in response to the adoption of the national indoor public place smoking ban. Baidu Index and Google Trends were used to examine the volume of search queries containing three key search terms “Smoking Ban(s),” “Quit Smoking,” and “Electronic Cigarette(s),” along with the news coverage on the smoking ban, for the period 2009–2011.FindingsOur results show that the announcement and adoption of the indoor public place smoking ban in China generated significant increases in news coverage on smoking bans. There was a strong positive correlation between the media coverage of smoking bans and the volume of “Smoking Ban(s)” and “Quit Smoking” related search queries. The volume of search queries related to “Electronic Cigarette(s)” was also correlated with the smoking ban news coverage.InterpretationTo the extent it altered smoking-related online searches, our analyses suggest that the smoking ban had a significant effect, at least in the short run, on Chinese Internet users’ smoking-related behaviors. This research introduces a novel analytic tool, which could serve as an alternative tobacco control evaluation and behavior surveillance tool in the absence of timely or comprehensive population surveillance system. This research also highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control in China.
Highlights
China bears one of the highest tobacco burdens in the world
Prior to May 2010, there were very fewSmoking Ban(s)'' news articles. The number of such articles first spiked in May 2010, corresponding to the Chinese Ministry of Health (CMH)'s high profile press conference, and subsequently dropped; the new level remained higher than the pre-2010 May period
The largest monthly number ofSmoking Ban (s)'' news articles (2,530), occurred in May 2011 when CMH issued a formal decision to prohibit smoking in 28 indoor public places listed in the State Council Regulations
Summary
China bears one of the highest tobacco burdens in the world. The 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey estimated that 53% of men and 2.4% of women, or approximately 300 million adults, smoke in China [1], and more than 70% of Chinese nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke [2]. The implementation of WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in China could lead to a significant reduction in tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, both in China and globally [3], [4]. Since China ratified FCTC in 2006, the Chinese government has adopted and strengthened several tobacco control policies related to its commitment to FCTC [5], [6]. In a widely publicized press conference in May 2010, the Chinese Ministry of Health (CMH) announced that China would adopt a smoking ban in indoor public places in January 2011 [7], the five year mark of China's ratification of FCTC. The smoking ban was not adopted until May 1, 2011 when CMH issued a formal decision to prohibit smoking in 28 indoor public places listed in the State Council Regulations [8]. Despite the tremendous economic and health costs imposed on China by tobacco use, China lacks a proactive and systematic tobacco control surveillance and evaluation system, hampering research progress on tobacco-focused surveillance and evaluation studies
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