[originaltext]W: Even as smoking declines in the U.S. and other countries, a ne

W: Even as smoking declines in the U.S. and other countries, a new study reveals that the use of tobacco in developing countries is booming. The report looked at tobacco users in 14 developing nations and included data from the U.S. and the U.K. for comparison. It found that about half the men across the low- and middle-income nations use tobacco. The number was much smaller for women, 11 percent. But the survey found that women are starting at younger ages than in the past. Russia had the highest rates—60 percent of men and 22 percent of women used tobacco in some form. The World Health Organization says that if current trends continue, the global death toll from tobacco will reach eight million a year by 2030. And we’re joined now by Gary Giovino, the leading researcher on the new study. Welcome to you. Let me just ask you first, what was the most important thing that came from this study for you?
M: Well, the magnitude of tobacco use in the different countries, the fact that we saw some different patterns, that smoking, for example, is very high among men and women in Russia, especially young men and women. In Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, it was very high.
W: One thing that jumped out at me was the low number of people who quit smoking once they have started, especially as compared to in the U.S., for example. What does that tell you? Why is that happening?
M: Well, I think we have some cultures, particularly, for example, in India, where quitting isn’t emphasized. Only 10 percent of people in India who have ever smoked daily have quit. That compares to about 45 percent in the United States and the United Kingdom, where tobacco control efforts, where efforts to educate people about tobacco use and encourage quitting and prevent initiation, have been going on for a long time. So, I hope that India, the government will look at that and try to improve their efforts to promote quitting among people who have become addicted and daily smokers.
W: What can we do? What do we know that does work?
M: Things that work are protecting non-smokers, of course, offering people to help with quitting, hardhitting mass media campaigns, and enforcing advertising bans or restrictions. In many countries, they can actually ban advertising. And they do. In our country, we can only restrict it. And then also raising taxes—when the price goes up, consumption goes down. But then, in many countries, they use some of the money that they get from raising taxes to fund media campaigns, for example, and other tobacco-control strategies.
W: Gary Giovino, thanks so much for joining us.
M: My pleasure. Thank you.
This is the end of Conversation Two. Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
6. Which country does the study focus on?
7. How many people smoke in Russia?
8. What will happen if the trend of smoking continues?
9. Why do more people quit smoking in the United States?
10. What can be done to control smoking?