再不戒,中國三分之一男性將會死於吸煙

A new study has warned that a third of all men currently under the age of 20 in China will eventually die prematurely if they do not give up smoking.

最近出爐的一份報告顯示，中國20歲以下的男性如果不放棄吸煙，他們中的三分之一會因此而過早地結束自己的生命。

The research, published in The Lancet medical journal, says two-thirds of men in China now start to smoke before 20.

發表於《柳葉刀》醫學雜誌上的研究顯示，中國三分之二的男性在20歲之前就開始抽煙。

Around half of those men will die from the habit, it concludes.

並表明，這些人中的一半會死於此習慣。

The scientists conducted two nationwide studies, 15 years apart, covering hundreds of thousands of people.

科學家們在15年間共進行了兩項全國性的調查，覆蓋人羣達百萬。

In 2010, around one million people in China died from tobacco usage. But researchers say that if current trends continue, that will double to two million people - mostly men - dying every year by 2030, making it a "growing epidemic of premature death".

2010年，中國有100萬人死於抽煙。但研究人員表示，如果此形勢繼續發展下去，到2030年，這個數字會翻倍，每年會有200萬中國人（大部分是男性）死於抽煙。早逝將成為流行病。

While more than half of Chinese men smoke, only 2.4% of Chinese women do. The study was conducted by scientists from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Center for Disease Control.

在中國，一半男性都有抽煙的習慣，但只有2.4%的女性抽煙。此研究由牛津大學，中國醫學科學院和中國疾病控制中心的專家們共同開展。

But co-author Richard Peto said there was hope - if people can be persuaded to quit.

不過，此報告的作者之一Richard Peto表示，如果人們能夠戒煙，事情還是有轉機的。

"The key to avoid this huge wave of deaths is cessation, and if you are a young man, don’t start," he said.

他説，“阻止這種慘劇發生的唯一辦法就是戒煙，年輕人趁早就別學吸煙。”

In many parts of China, meals often fit a comfortable pattern. After putting down their chopsticks, men commonly push their chairs back from the table and light cigarettes. No wonder China has struggled to impose a smoking ban in public places.

在中國大部分地區的飯局上，男人們放下筷子後，通常把椅子往後一挪便點起一根煙。也難怪中國出台禁止在公共場合吸煙的規定。

China is the world’s biggest consumer of cigarettes - one in three cigarettes smoked globally is in China - as well as the world’s biggest tobacco producer. More than 300 million people - about a quarter of the population - smoke, with the average smoker consuming 22 cigarettes a day.

中國是世界上最大的煙草生產國和消費國，世界上每三個人吸煙，就有一個是中國人。中國有三億多煙民，幾乎佔總人口的四分之一。每個煙民平均每天吸22根煙。

In a country where smoking is so ingrained in daily life, few understand the harmful effects of tobacco use. According to the World Health Organization, only 25% of Chinese adults can list the specific health hazards of smoking, from lung cancer to heart disease.

在抽煙這個習慣如此根深蒂固的國家，很少有人明白吸煙的危害。據世界衞生組織表示，只有25%的成年人能説出吸煙的具體危害，包括肺癌和心臟病。

Globally, tobacco kills up to half of its users, according to the World Health Organization.

世界衞生組織的數據顯示，世界範圍內，已有一半的煙民死於抽煙。