Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health

What Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health does

The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH; 香港吸煙與健康委員會) is a statutory body established in 1987 under the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Ordinance (Cap.389). Its mandate is to inform and educate the public on smoking and health matters, conduct research into tobacco dependence, and advise the Hong Kong Government on tobacco-control policy. COSH operates as a government-funded public health organisation: it does not generate commercial revenue, does not charge for any of its services, and runs an operating team of approximately seven staff from a single headquarters at Hopewell Centre, Wanchai. Its core offerings sit in three clusters — community cessation campaigns (the flagship annual 'Quit to Win' competition across all 18 districts), school-based education (the Smoke-free Teens Elite leadership programme for S.2–S.5 students co-organised with the Education Bureau, and the School Interactive Education Theatre delivered since 1995, now produced with iStage Theatre Company), and targeted publicity (Smoke-free Sportswear Day on World No Tobacco Day, Smoke-free Women Project, Smoke-free Elderly programme, and the 'Wise Mike' 咪點我 mascot). The technology layer is a multilingual digital platform — smokefree.hk offers content in Traditional/Simplified Chinese, English, and eight South/Southeast Asian languages — supported by an online Fagerstrom nicotine-dependence self-test, a Resource Centre of academic and audiovisual materials, and 33 numbered research reports; no commercial software product, API, or paid channel exists. COSH's business model is therefore statutory grant-funded public-health delivery, with revenue mechanics determined entirely by the Hong Kong Government's annual allocation rather than market pricing.

Name

Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health

Legal name

Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health

Website

https://smokefree.hk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) is a 1987 statutory body under Cap.389 that delivers government-funded tobacco control — Quit to Win cessation campaigns, school theatre and Smoke-free Teens education, and policy advocacy — to smokers, students, and the wider Hong Kong public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Tobacco Control

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) & Mental Health Programs (BPADAIAK)

Keywords

• Tobacco control advocacy
• Smoking cessation programs
• Public health education
• Smoke-free campaigns
• Anti-tobacco policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: COSH is a statutory body established under the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Ordinance (Cap.389) in 1987, primarily funded by the Hong Kong Government. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) is a statutory body that delivers public health services focused on tobacco control, including smoking cessation campaigns, youth and community education programs, school interactive theatre, policy advocacy, and published research. All services and resources are provided free of charge, supported by Hong Kong Government funding, and aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Product overview

The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) operates as a statutory body established in 1987 under the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Ordinance (Cap. 389). Rather than offering a unified technology product, COSH delivers a portfolio of public health programs, educational initiatives, and informational services. Core offerings include the "Quit to Win" smoking cessation competition, the Smoke-free Sportswear Day annual campaign, and the Smoke-free Elite Teens Programme youth leadership initiative. Educational services encompass School Interactive Education Theatre performances, Health Talks for schools and organizations, and the Resource Centre providing reference materials. COSH also maintains digital tools including the Fagerstrom Test for nicotine dependence assessment, the Wise Mike mascot brand with WhatsApp stickers and children's picture books, and publishes annual reports and research reports documenting tobacco control outcomes. The organization does not operate a technology platform but rather delivers public health interventions through community programs, educational activities, and informational resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wise Mike (咪點我): Smoke-free mascot ambassador who promotes anti-smoking messages. The name '咪點我' is Cantonese slang meaning 'don't smoke at all' with '點' referring to being deceived by tobacco companies.

Products and services

• Smoke-free Sportswear Day (無煙運動日) Annual public health campaign held on May 31st (World No Tobacco Day) encouraging the public to support tobacco cessation through sports activities and exercise. The 2026 edition is themed 'Identified Smoking Lures and Pooling Smoke-free Power' (識破煙草誘惑 凝聚無煙力量).
• "Quit to Win" Smoke-free Community Campaign (戒煙大贏家) Community-based smoking cessation competition program that recruits smokers across Hong Kong's 18 districts to quit smoking with incentives and support. The 16th edition motivated over 1,300 smokers to take the first step toward quitting; the 17th edition is currently being launched.
• Smoke-free Women Project (無煙女性宣傳計劃) Publicity program targeting women to raise awareness about smoking hazards and promote smoke-free lifestyle, addressing emerging smoking trends among women and secondhand smoke exposure at home.
• Elderly Smoking Cessation Promotion Project (無煙老友記計劃) Program designed specifically for elderly smokers to encourage and support smoking cessation, addressing long-term smoking habits and health deterioration.
• Health Talks (健康講座) Health education lectures provided to schools and organizations about smoking hazards and cessation methods.
• School Interactive Education Theatre (學校互動教育巡迴劇場) Interactive theatre performances delivered to primary schools since 1995 to educate children about tobacco hazards and prevention. Over 2,300 performances conducted for over 640,000 students over 30 years.
• Smoke-free Elite Teens Programme (無煙Teens精英計劃) Multi-modal learning program for secondary school students (S2-S5) to develop leadership skills and promote smoke-free culture in schools and communities. Since 2012, over 3,300 smoke-free leaders have been trained and over 460,000 students and citizens reached.
• Smoke-free Ambassador Wise Mike (咪點我) Official mascot ambassador promoting smoke-free messages with promotional videos, WhatsApp stickers, and educational children's picture books about secondhand smoke. The name '咪點我' is Cantonese slang meaning 'don't smoke at all'.
• Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence Online self-assessment tool for smokers to measure their nicotine dependence level to guide cessation support.
• Resource Centre (資源中心) Reference library service providing tobacco control materials, academic research papers, books, audiovisual resources, and tobacco control conference documents to the public. Located at COSH's Wanchai headquarters.
• COSH Annual Reports Annual reports documenting the council's activities, research findings, and tobacco control achievements from 2019/20 to 2024/25.
• COSH Research Reports Series of 33 numbered research reports covering youth smoking surveys, secondhand smoke health impacts, Quit to Win contests, tobacco control policy surveys, and e-cigarette analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hong Kong smoking rate dropped from 23.3% to 8.5% since 1982 legislation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• iStage Theatre CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025iStage Theatre Company is a local non-profit charitable arts organization and Hong Kong Arts Council three-year funded troupe. They produce and perform the School Interactive Education Theatre programmes with anti-smoking themes. The current production '孟母三遷咪吸煙' (Meng Mu's Three Moves - Don't Smoke) combines educational content with interactive learning resources.
• University of Hong Kong (HKU)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025HKU School of Public Health, School of Nursing, and Youth Quitline collaborate with COSH on research, policy surveys, and smoking cessation programs. HKU representatives participate in COSH events as guest speakers and award presenters.
• Education Bureau (Hong Kong)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Education Bureau co-organizes the Smoke-free Teens Elite Programme and school educational activities including health talks and interactive theatre. The partnership provides official endorsement and support for COSH's youth tobacco control education initiatives in schools across Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong Metropolitan University School of NursingsupportingOthersYouth Quitline operated by Hong Kong Metropolitan University provides smoking cessation counseling services for young smokers. Part of the referral network for COSH cessation programs.
• Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Nethersole School of Nursing, and HKU Women Smoking Cessation Programme collaborate on research and cessation initiatives. COSH Information and Research Committee includes CUHK faculty members.
• Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool of Nursing at PolyU operates Youth Quitline and collaborates with COSH on research projects including evaluation of smoking cessation interventions. Professor Wang Wenbing serves as Assistant Dean (Student Professional Development) on COSH awards committee.
• Hospital AuthoritysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital Authority Smoking Counselling and Cessation Programme provides clinical smoking cessation services. Dr Will Leung, Chief Manager of Primary and Community Services at Hospital Authority, serves on COSH Information and Research Committee.
• Tung Wah Group of HospitalssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTung Wah Group of Hospitals Integrated Centre on Smoking Cessation provides Traditional Chinese Medicine-based cessation services. Listed as partner organization on COSH's tobacco control links page.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSH aligns with WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and MPOWER measures. Hong Kong tobacco control legislation follows WHO guidelines. World No Tobacco Day activities are coordinated with WHO themes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Health Promotion Board (Singapore): Statutory government body under Singapore's Ministry of Health driving nationwide health promotion including tobacco control — comparable as a government-mandated public-health agency with broader mandate than COSH's tobacco focus.
• Ministry of Health Singapore (Tobacco Control): Singapore's lead government body for tobacco-control legislation, including the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act — adjacent government peer in jurisdiction-level tobacco-control regulation and policy.

Direct peers

• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: US-based non-profit advocacy organization driving policy reform, youth prevention, and global tobacco-control initiatives. Closely comparable to COSH in combining legislative advocacy with mass-media youth-education campaigns.
• Truth Initiative: Largest US public-health non-profit dedicated to tobacco-free living, operating youth-focused mass-media campaigns and cessation research — comparable in mission, demographic targeting, and educational-program emphasis.
• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH UK): UK-based charity focused on tobacco control policy advocacy and public education — direct functional peer to COSH in mission, advocacy style, and policy-to-public-health framing, though operating in a different regulatory jurisdiction.
• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH US): US-based non-profit focused exclusively on tobacco control policy, litigation, and advocacy — closely comparable in policy-advocacy-only model and public-interest framing, though smaller scale than COSH's combined advocacy + education role.

Emerging players

• Cancer Council Victoria (Quit Victoria): Australian non-profit running the Quit tobacco-control program with cessation campaigns, mass-media education, and policy advocacy — directly comparable in cessation-program design and public-education campaigns.

Regional players

• Health Promotion Administration (Taiwan): Taiwan's government agency for health promotion including tobacco control, with comparable functions around smoking cessation, school programs, and policy advocacy in a Chinese-language Greater China context.
• Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth): Thai government-funded autonomous health promotion agency financing tobacco-control programs and campaigns — comparable funding structure and statutory mandate but broader health mandate than COSH.

Others

• Framework Convention Alliance (now STOP): Global tobacco-control advocacy network aligned with WHO FCTC — comparable in international-policy framing and MPOWER alignment, but operating as a global coalition rather than a single-jurisdiction statutory body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/wisemike_hk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hong-kong-council-on-smoking-and-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health