Mr. P. Burhoo presenting ITC Mauritius Wave 2 Survey results
at the Mauritius National Report Dissemination Workshop, May 31, 2011

Mrs. S. Hanoomanjee, Mauritius Minister of Health and Quality of Life,
reviews the ITC Mauritius Wave 2 Report with Mr. D. Mohee, WHO Mauritius
& Mr P. Jhugroo, Supervising Officer at the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life

The ITC Mauritius National Report reports on the findings of Wave 2 of the ITC Mauritius Survey, which was conducted between August 30 and October 2, 2010. Among the many findings are the following: Health Warnings: The eight pictorial health warnings introduced  on June 1, 2009, which are among the largest in the world and the first of their kind in the African region, are much more effective than the text-only warnings they replaced. The level of noticing warnings is now highest in Mauritius compared to 18 other ITC countries. An additional interesting finding is that even after the introduction of pictorial warnings, the majority of Mauritian smokers (55% smokers and 81% non smokers) would like additional information about the health risks of smoking on cigarette packs. Smoke-free: Although the level of smoking in key public places has been reduced since the smoke-free law of 2009, smokers and non-smokers report a lack of compliance with the bans in restaurants and especially in bars. Support for smoke-free workplaces, public places, and cars is very high. But in general, the findings from the ITC Mauritius Survey demonstrate the need for stronger implementation and enforcement of the existing smoke-free law. Cessation: Mauritians surveyed unanimously support stronger governmental efforts for cessation initiatives. Smoking patterns in Mauritius are favorable for such cessation programs; for example, cigarettes per day are quite low at 10.0, the third lowest average consumption among other ITC countries. Support for tobacco control: The Mauritian people-smokers as well as non-smokers-strongly support governmental efforts toward tobacco control. As one indication, the great majority of Mauritians (86% of smokers and 99% of non smokers) fully support a complete ban on tobacco products within ten years, if the government provides cessation assistance such as cessation clinics to help smokers quit.

Please download the Mauritius Wave 2 National Report .