The Fiji global school-based health survey reveals that 65.1 percent of students surveyed, start smoking before they reach the age of fourteen.
This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr Meciusela Tuicakau while opening the World No Tobacco Day event at the Sangam College of Nursing in Labasa today.
Dr Tuicakau said that it is important that we save our children from the grips of the tobacco industry.
He said although the overall smoking rate has decreased from 38 percent to 30.8 percent as at 2011, the smoking rate in Fiji is still high.
Tuicakau said one of the ways to decrease the number of smokers is by using the plain packaging concept to reduce the cigarettes attractiveness and demand.
He stressed that this will reduce the demand of tobacco products.
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