|
|
|
|
Tobacco use in South Asians Tobacco use in the UK South Asian communities must be understood not only by looking at the current prevalence statistics, but also by looking at the historical roots of tobacco use in South Asia. Unbridled tobacco marketing and advertising has shored up traditional myth and folklore on its "perceived benefits" and "herbal values" as in dental creams and "tobacco water purges". Inactivity and paralysis of the South Asian governments and public health agencies to raise awareness, educate and de-normalise tobacco use in their populations has let it flourish while the developed world races ahead to ban and restrict its sale and use. In some Californian communities the prevalence rates have fallen to under 4%. The 1980s Californian health programmes have worked very well! In 2004, when compared with the national average of the whole population where 24% of adult men smoke, the Health Survey of England 2005-Minority Ethnic Groups shows that in South Asians 40% of Bangladeshi men, 29% of Pakistani men and 20% of Indian men smoke. Nationally, 23% of Adult women smoke. Women in South Asian communities smoke less. 5% Indian, 5% Pakistani and 2 % Bangladeshi women smoke. However, 16 % of Bangladeshi women chew tobacco paan. Tobacco use must be seen in relation to the total health status of the community. See the Department of Health Data revealing health inequalities. Poor diets and high underlying presence of diabetes type 2 and heart disease are compounded by high tobacco use. Department of Health Survey 2004 (Click to see full results) Products-Historical Picture Tobacco leaf was first introduced into South Asia around 1600s. It is now consumed in a number of products:
See Full Product Type and Ingredients: Fact Sheet on Smokeless Tobacco Products A brief history of tobacco use in South Asia Tobacco may have entered South Asia under Emperor Shah Jahan's (The Romantic's) rule when the Portuguese first started active and large scale trading on the Western shores of India in 1500s. Tobacco had, however, became a scourge by the time his son Emperor Aurangzeb (the Philistine) came to power. Aurangzeb had to issue several decrees to discourage tobacco use in his army as he saw how endemic its use and effects had become on his troops. The earliest tobacco formal tobacco control activities in any community in South Asia may have started in the Sikhs when Guru Teg Bahadur first gave a sermon against tobacco growing and production to farmers in a small village called Barna near Kurukshetra Town in Haryana State India around 1670. Later his son, Guru Gobind and the tenth Sikh Guru in 1699 created the Khalsa (pure) creed and formally ordained that The Khalsa were to categorically abstain from tobacco use. To this day this has had a major long term impact in the Punjab province. Smoking prevalence is the lowest in the Sikhs. In modern times, the Reht Maryada codes set by the Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) in 1931 state that: Section 4 Chapter x Article xvi (j) A
Sikh must not take hemp (cannabis), opium, liquor, tobacco, in short any
intoxicant. His only routine intake should be food. Section 3 Chapter iv Article V (K) No person, no matter which country, religion or cast he/she belongs to, is debarred from entering the gurduwara for darshan (seeing the holy shrine). However, he/she should not have on his/her person anything, such as tobacco or other intoxicants, which are tabooed by the Sikh religion. Pre-independence movements against alcohol and tobacco under Mahatma Gandhi (a Gujarati ) had great impact on the Gujarat State. His message directed at the rural India had great impact as more urban than rural people smoke. In the modern South Asian State health programmes several religious decrees have been used to discourage tobacco use:
Asian Quitline experience in the UK A Health Education Authority rresearch report "Tobacco use by Black and Ethnic Minorities-1999" found that smokers from minority ethnic groups are just as ready to quit smoking as their counterparts in the main UK population as a whole. A higher proportion of smokers from minority groups reported having firm plans to quit smoking , with 45% Bangladeshis, 40 % Indians and 36% of Pakistanis planning to quit compared to 29% of the UK smoking population. Despite these plans, a smaller percentage report having quit over 10 years compared to the UK population of ex-smokers (3% of Indians, 6% of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis report being ex-smokers compared to 22% of the general population). The profile of service users at Asian Quitline shows that their call to the service was their first attempt at doing something about their smoking behavior, with the majority having not done anything before. The accessibility and cost of advice from their GP and other alternatives may be important barriers to their use the GP and other services. Few callers report attempting Nicotine Replacement Therapy, reading information from other agencies and taking medical advice. Profile of our service users: profile Our promotional activity has yielded great results and we are committed towards helping Asian smokers who want to quit by offering them quality and accessible services. promotional Other tobacco related interests: Historical Roots |
Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to Contact
Us.
|
