Karachi school-girls in the grip of smoking epidemic

2010-06-02 18:00:00

Smoking among Karachi school-girls is on the rise with 16 percent girls being smokers, a recent research has revealed.

Prof Nadeem Rizvi, Head of Chest Diseases Jinnah Postgraduate Medical (JPMC ) and President Pakistan Chest Society conducted the research on girls' smoking habits.

He said women and girls form a susceptible target group for the tobacco industry as they perpetually need new users to replace nearly half of the current users who die prematurely from tobacco-induced diseases.

Rizvi demanded that all forms of direct or indirect marketing of tobacco products must be banned.

How can we allow promotion of a product which is responsible for 100,000 deaths annually in the country, he questioned.

He also highlighted the issue of the doctor's moral responsibility to educate the public so they can make better health choices.

Rizvi drew attention to the harmful effects of tobacco marketing that is targeted towards women and girls.

According to The News International, women are a major target of opportunity for the tobacco industry, which needs to recruit new users to replace the nearly half of current users who will die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases.

He demanded that all forms of direct or indirect marketing of tobacco products must be banned. How can we allow promotion of a product which is responsible for 100,000 deaths annually in the country, questioned Prof Rizvi.

"Research shows that even a brief three-minute advice by doctors on quitting smoking brings about significant results. It was unfortunate," Prof Javaid Khan official of National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Head Section of Chest Diseases at AKUH said.

However, cigarette smoking is just the tip of the iceberg as many other problems like shisha consumption and gutka chewing, also plague Pakistan.

Prof Javaid Khan official of National Alliance for Tobacco Control and Head Section of Chest Diseases at AKUH said that all doctors are morally bound to educating the public on health related issues.

Khan said that over 50% of university students in Karachi were found to consume tobacco in shisha form. An hour of Shisha use was equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, he warned. (ANI)


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Girls as young as six smoke in GCC
Updated at: 0950 PST, Saturday, June 05, 2010 ShareThis story

DUBAI: UAE released a "Dubai Declaration" in its fight to control tobacco use and called for a total ban on smoking in public places with no allowance for smoking rooms.

Senior health officials warned that girls as young as six are becoming smokers in the region and called for wide-reaching measures as doubling the price of tobacco to reduce temptation among the young population.

Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Health, released the Declaration at the Dubai Women's Association, to highlight the concern that tobacco firms are targeting women.

He said there are 1.3 billion smokers worldwide today and that tobacco use in its many forms kills five million people every year. Yesterday was World Anti-Tobacco Day and petrol stations across the country stopped selling cigarettes for the day.

The declaration calls for 50 per cent of cigarette packs to be covered with health warnings and graphics.

A senior GCC official said the graphics will take into consideration local sensibilities and not feature scantily-dressed women. There is also consensus to double the price of tobacco.

Draft laws of the Federal National Anti-Tobacco Laws had been finalised recently with the assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

There is also a move to provide streaming warnings in Arab TV soaps whenever a character on screen starts smoking. The warnings will say that smoking is harmful to health.

"It's either them (tobacco companies) or us," Hussain Abdul Razzaq Al Jazeri, WHO Regional Director, said citing the worrying figures of the number of smokers growing every year. He said when people have to pay more for cigarettes, the number of smokers drop.

A senior GCC health official said conflict between various departments is holding back the massive tax increase health ministers are seeking on tobacco products. The six nations are looking at doubling the cost of cigarettes but are being held back due to "stiff opposition" from various "sectors", Dr Tawfiq Khoja, executive board member of the health ministers' council, told Gulf News.

He said a resolution to raise the price had been adopted in 2003 and so far nothing has happened. "We have been trying since the past 15 years (to raise prices)," he said.

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