The Hindu : New Delhi News : 8 % smokers in DU North Campus

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Monday, Dec 15, 2008
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8 % smokers in DU North Campus

Staff Reporter

Survey conducted as an initiative to make the campus smoke-free

18.4 per cent male smokers, 3.3 per cent females
47.6 per cent picked up the habit during school

NEW DELHI: About 8 per cent of students on Delhi University’s North Campus are smokers, with 18.4 per cent males and 3.3 per cent females given to this habit.

As per a survey conducted on 3,362 students by the World Lung Foundation-South Asia, 7.8 per cent of North Campus students smoke, with about 47.6 per cent of the smokers admitting they picked up the habit during school.

The survey was conducted as part of the Delhi University Smoke Free Initiative, which started in 2006. Under this partnership, Delhi University, World Lung Foundation-South Asia and Delhi Police have been making efforts to make the North Campus a Tobacco Free Zone.

The survey that was carried out during September-December also revealed that a large 66.5 per cent of smokers belonged to financially well off families.

“About 84 per cent of female smokers and 59 per cent male smokers belong to the category where family income per month is Rs. 20,000 and above,” said G.R. Khatri, president of the foundation at a press conference on Saturday.

“The V.P. Chest Institute at Delhi University had done a survey five years back to assess the prevalence of smoking among the University students. It was found that 23.5 per cent male and 3.9 per cent female students were smokers. We can safely say that smoking on the campus has come down,” added Dr. Khatri.

However, even though measures were being taken through intensive educational campaigns, Dr. Khatri admitted that 34.6 per cent of smokers bought their cigarettes from the North Campus itself.

Proctor Gurmeet Singh pointed out that the kiosks selling cigarettes had come down from 90 to about 18 in the last two-and-a-half years.

“These kiosks do not sell cigarettes openly. It would not take us much time in taking action against them with the help of Delhi Police. But, we want to educate people and give these kiosk owners an option of an alternate profession,” Prof. Singh explained.

The survey also revealed that 41.8 per cent smokers still smoke on the North Campus despite it being declared a no-smoking zone. However, the “smoking dens” have been identified, and the members of the tobacco-free brigade, who are students from different colleges, were involved in sensitisation in those areas.

“Surprisingly, even though almost 95 per cent students understood that smoking is harmful, only 13.9 per cent knew which major body organs were affected by smoking. A good 66.2 per cent said they wanted to kick the habit because of their awareness of health problems,” Dr. Khatri said.

Prof. Gurmeet Singh said that after tackling the students and non-teaching staff at the North Campus, a seminar will be held to sensitise the teaching community.

“We will soon extend the smoke-free initiative to the South Campus as well. We will start the sensitisation programmes at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Deshbandhu College and Sri Venkateswara College to begin with,” the Proctor informed.

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