‘Tobacco is major contributor to many life-threatening diseases'
Prayagraj: The 'World No Tobacco Day' will be observed on Saturday (May 31) under the theme of 'Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing the Industry Tactics on Tobacco & Nicotine Products'.
Senior consultant oncologist at Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital, Prayagraj, Dr. Sonia Tiwari said, "Tobacco use is a major contributor to several life-threatening diseases, including cancer affecting the oral cavity, head and neck, breast, esophagus, colon, lungs, liver, stomach, and other body parts. Other lung diseases like COPD, TB, heart complications, pregnancy complications, weakened immune system, diabetes, reduced fertility, premature aging, dental problems and overall mortality are also linked to tobacco use.
It is responsible for 25% of all cancer deaths worldwide, amounting to an estimated 2 million deaths yearly. In particular, smoking is responsible for about 85% of all lung cancer deaths. Tobacco consumption causes the death of more than 8 million people around the world, with more than 7 million deaths resulting from direct tobacco use".
Dr Tiwari, meanwhile, said, "Due to the regular efforts of WHO against the use of tobacco, there is a decline in tobacco use, but the decrease is less substantial.
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The numbers show that while tobacco control measures are effective in curbing consumption, sustained efforts are needed to see them implemented more widely." She also claimed that it is painful to witness that the target customers for the tobacco industry are youths aged between 14 and 20 years.
More than 15 million young people (14-20 years) are using some form of tobacco. Within India, tobacco use among 14-20-year-olds includes a good percentage of boys and some share of girls too, indicating challenge in curbing youth tobacco consumption.
She, however, said, "We advocate for stringent controls on marketing strategies for new products especially designed to appeal to youths, such as e-cigarettes, especially flavoured products, smokeless tobacco, snus, and pouches, which are aggressively promoted through social media." She also mentioned that the entire medical community welcomes increasing taxes on tobacco products to make them less affordable.
Dr. Anoop Chauhan said, " To quit tobacco, apart from strong willpower, one needs to get away from places that are tobacco-prone. Drink lots of water and fluids, stay away from sugar, coffee, and fatty food, and attend the gym or go jogging."
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