The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : 13 p.c. schoolchildren use chewing tobacco: RCC study

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Tuesday, Jun 01, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

13 p.c. schoolchildren use chewing tobacco: RCC study

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 31. The use of chewing tobacco or smokeless tobacco, known in local parlance as `Shambhu', has gone up in the past five years and most of the consumers of this type of tobacco has been found to be children in the 13-18 year group, Babu Mathew, former professor of Community Oncology, Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), has said.

A study conducted by a team from RCC in three schools in the city had reported that 13 per cent of school children were regular users of `Shambhu', he said, at an open forum on the harmful effects of tobacco, organised on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day, here on Monday.

The function to observe World No-Tobacco Day was organised jointly by the RCC, the Regional Cancer Association (RCA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

An oral cancer screening project was conducted recently by RCC with assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) among 1.4 lakh people above 35 years, in 14 grama panchayats in Chirayinkeezhu and Kazhakkoottam. According to this project, 61 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women were found to be habitual tobacco users.

Tiny Nair, cardiologist, said that the incidence of smoking was quite high in the category of well-educated, tech-savvy and high-earning urban males in the 30-45 years age group. Smoking was the single largest cause of cardiac problems in this category of the population, he pointed out.

Doctors said that the incidence of lung cancer continued to be the highest among the poor and the less educated. Among men in the age group of 40-50, lung cancer was the most predominant type of cancer and less than 10 per cent had any chances of survival, Jayaprakash Madhavan, of RCC said.

All lung cancer patients who sought treatment at RCC were found to be smokers, the doctors pointed out. It was indeed a matter of concern that at least one or two women arrived at the lung cancer clinic at RCC every week. These women were victims of passive smoking, Dr. Madhavan said.

Doctors stressed the fact that a person who smokes could genetically transmit the disposition to the next generation. Passive smoke from a cigarette has been found to be at least 3 - 11 per cent more potent than the exhaled smoke. Children whose fathers were regular smokers, were also found to have various respiratory ailments, including tuberculosis, Ramani Wesley said.

Speakers at the open forum spoke about the need for starting nicotine addiction clinics and the requirement of social support groups to help people quit the smoking habit.

Possible ban on pan masalas

Earlier, inaugurating the function, the Health Minister, Kadavoor Sivadasan, said that the State Government was contemplating a ban on pan masalas in the State and that proposals to this effect have already been prepared.

The Minister pointed out that the number of smokers had come down slightly, but that with the reincarnation of tobacco in more deadly versions such as pan masalas, easily accessible to all, even children were falling prey to tobacco.

He felt that artistes, film stars and other such popular figures should use their medium to propagate the message against tobacco. He said that cinema was a medium that had considerable sway over youngsters. Popular stars with burning cigarettes in hands was doing a disfavour to the younger generation, he pointed out.

Mr. Sivadasan added that more attention needed to be paid on the enforcement of anti-tobacco laws.

Others who spoke at the inaugural function included the Director of RCC, B. Rajan, the honorary secretary of RCA, Janardhana Aiyer and the president of IMA Thiruvananthapuram branch, Alex Franklin. The president of RCA, V. Ramachandran, presided.

The cinestar, Suresh Gopi and Gopinath Muthukad, magacians, were the special invitees on the occasion. Mr. Muthukad presented a magic show that conveyed the ill effects of tobacco.

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