Health advocacy for reducing smoking rates in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Efforts to reduce smoking at the Olympics that will be hosted in Tokyo in 2020 are spreading across the country, but they are not enough. In general, it is said that (1) smoke prevention education for minors, (2) smoking cessation support for smokers, and (3) smoking restriction in the social environment are necessary to reduce the smoking rate. Healthy Japan 21 called for achieving a numerical target for the reduction of youth smoking by 2010. The author is a principal school doctor at Hamamatsu Municipal Yuto Elementary School and has been teaching antismoking classes to elementary school students since 1999. In this area (Yuto District, Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan), there is the Oki-jinja Shrine, which was built in 705, and a large event (Oki-jinja grand festival) is held there each autumn, attracting 2500 people. Since many people gather there, it is worthwhile to provide information about passive smoking prevention on shrine grounds. Since 1999, smoking prevention classes have been held at elementary schools, and in 2008, smoking was prohibited in the grounds of the Oki-jinja Shrine, making the festival there totally nonsmoking within the shrine grounds, among additional measures taken against smoking. In addition, measures against smoking at large events in Shizuoka Prefecture and Hamamatsu City have also been effective, and the smoking rate among Hamamatsu citizens has dropped to 10.2% (From Health Promotion Division, Hamamatsu City, 2016), which is expected to extend their healthy life expectancy. To reduce the smoking rate, it is important not only to provide administrative support but also to engage in steady civic activities.