As the population has become increasingly reliant on the Internet for communication, the Bureau of Health Promotion's anti-smoking support network has also gone online.
At a press conference yesterday, officials said the bureau's new suite of online services for people wanting to quit smoking -- unveiled on Nov. 1 -- has received more than 7,000 visitors so far.
In addition to its telephone hotline for smokers in need of advice, the bureau now provides similar support via e-mail or the popular Internet telephone service Skype.
Smokers can also interact with people who have successfully quit the habit in the bureau's online anti-smoking chatroom and forums.
The convenience, anonymity and flexibility of communicating over the Internet allows the services to reach those who might have hesitated to pick up a telephone, said Hsieh Tse-ming (謝澤銘), the head of the bureau's anti-smoking counseling hotline group.
"One engineer who sought help online said he had wanted to quit for a long time but did not call the hotline because talking on the phone was too much pressure for him," Hsieh said.
The online tools will also help the hearing-impaired, who until then had been unable to use the hotlines, said Yu Po-tsun (
The message boards and chatroom also provide an opportunity for smokers to interact with each other as well as those who have successfully quit.
A less welcome trend, Hsieh said, was an increase in the past two months in individuals who sought to quit because they no longer had enough disposable income to spend on cigarettes.
"It's a strange phenomenon," Hsieh said. "The stagnant economy might have had the unexpected effect of causing more people to quit."
The bureau's anti-smoking hotline is 0800-636363, while online support is available at www.tsh.org.tw.
Web-savvy smokers seeking support can also find help at the John Tung foundation at www.e-quit.org this June.
The E-quit site provides information for quitters as well as interactive features such as forums and blogs.
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