Adolescent curiosity often leads youth to get initiated into smoking. According to the Global Tobacco Atlas 2018, more than 6.25 lakh children in India smoke a cigarette every day, which poses a serious public health threat. Every year, more than 932,600 Indian lives are lost to tobacco-related diseases, according to the Tobacco Atlas prepared by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and US-based Vital Strategies in March 2018. However, this is less than the average number of deaths caused by smoking tobacco in medium Human Development Index (HDI) countries. Thus, it is high time parents make sure that children understand the adverse effects of smoking. With No Smoking Day coming up March 13, Sunday POST talks to a few health experts and a social activist on how to curb the menace of smoking among adolescents and children.
Children start smoking for a variety of reasons. Some think it makes them look cool, appear older, fit in with other kids, lose weight, or seem tough. Some do it just to feel independent. Some do it just because they have seen it all their life. There may be various reasons, but it cannot be denied that teen smoking might begin innocently, but it becomes a long-term problem. In fact, most adult smokers begin smoking as teenagers. That apart, teens believe that occasional smoking does not make them addicted. Most importantly, they are of the impression that they can get rid of the habit at will. They are unaware of the fact that once you are hooked, it’s tough to quit. A study reveals that one in eighteen school students try smoking by 12 years of age, and this rises to one in seven by 14. By the time they are 17 years old, around 40 per cent of school students have already tried smoking.
Going by the data provided in the Tobacco Atlas, although fewer children smoke cigarettes in India than in medium Human Development Index (HDI) nations, more than 429,500 boys and 195,500 girls in the country have been found to take puffs daily. With over 13,000 Indian men and 4,000 women dying every week due to chronic tobacco abuse, it’s becoming clear that smoking is a public health hazard, one requiring the government to recalibrate measures to protect young boys and girls.
Even as India has banned smoking in healthcare facilities and educational institutions, besides running anti-tobacco campaigns on television, radio, and at movie screenings, the number of child smokers is increasing with each passing year.
In addition to direct smoking, many children are also exposed to passive smoking at home and in school. Second-hand smoking also greatly increases the risk of many diseases like cancer, heart disease, and lung disease.
According to Dillip Kumar Parida, head of the department, Oncology and Radiation, AIIMS, “Every child has a role model in his/her life. And there are two types of role models – role model inside and role model outside. Role model inside means they consider someone from their family as a role model and imitate their activities. Role model outside means they are a diehard fan of an actor or celebrity thereby following their every step. If they find their so-called role models are smoking cigarettes openly, they also do not mind doing so. Besides, out of inquisitiveness, some kids try smoking but then get addicted to it.”
Parida continues: “Though swachhata (cleanliness) was always an issue, people never talked about it. After launching of a nationwide campaign, people started making it a mission to keep their surroundings clean. Similarly, terrorism was not a much-talked about topic. People take things seriously when the government takes it seriously and talks about it boldly. The same applies to tobacco. If the government talks about the ill-effects of smoking and imposes a ban on tobacco products, people will also start talking about it. This way, we can make a positive impact in the lives of smokers, be it children or others. Besides, the government should ban the sale of easily available tobacco products near schools to keep them out of reach of the students.”
He further explains, “Peer influence is recognised as a major risk factor for adolescent smoking. Having friends who smoke doubles the risk of children aged between 10 and 19 taking to smoking. It is the parents who can teach them to say no to smoking.”
According to Seva Mohapatra, a Bhubaneswar-based gynaecologist, “Smoking leads to multiple problems in children. Babies born to women who smoke are more likely to have certain birth disorders like a cleft lip or cleft palate. Smoking also leads to infertility among women. When it comes to the youth, most of those who smoke are unaware of the fact that smoking reduces lung function. Cigarette smokers have a lower level of lung function than those persons who have never smoked. The short-term health consequences of smoking include respiratory and non-respiratory effects, addiction to nicotine, and other associated risks. Generally, kids start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted by age 14. Parents have to take a call and start speaking to them from an early age. Treat them as friends. Never impose decisions on them. It is the only way we can educate them about the harmful effects of smoking and make them quit smoking gradually.”
Saroj Kumar, another doctor from the department of Oncology and Radiation, AIIMS, is of the opinion that smoking is more common among teens whose parents are also smokers. “The earlier parents stop smoking, the less likely their wards become habitual smokers. For some youths, smoking a cigarette is a social status issue. Lured by their friends, they want to prove that ‘I can smoke too.’ In such cases, I would say parents should not give more pocket money than required. The rising cases of smoking among children can be attributed to the parents’ lack of awareness and information regarding the hazards of smoking.”
When asked about measures that can be taken to discourage smoking among children, Imran Ali, anti-tobacco activist and founder of Mission Answer to Cancer, urged cine and sports personalities to stay away from advertising tobacco-related products.
He says, “Before smoking, children get addicted to tobacco products thanks to their parents or friends. If you want to make this generation aware of the harmful impacts of tobacco and if you really want to create a tobacco-free environment for children, we have to make our educational institutions tobacco-free. It’s the responsibility of everyone, particularly families and school authorities, to initiate a tobacco-free campaign and make sure that they never ask kids to bring tobacco-related stuff. It is the responsibility of the government, media, family and conscious citizens to create a smoking-free society so that we can offer a better childhood to our kids.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP