Gutkha tops tobacco addicts’ list of habits

According to a recent survey, Gutkha is the favourite among tobacco consumers. Almost 42% of the people surveyed preferred to chew on Gutkha. Another matter of concern is that only 34% of tobacco users in Ahmedabad are aware of the pictorial warnings and drawbacks of chewing tobacco. These facts came to fore when Gujarat Voluntary Health Association (GVHA) conducted a pilot survey in the city, to find out the status of enforcement of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, (COTPA) 2003, in Ahmedabad.

The survey also states that 70% of government offices that were part of the survey did not display the statuary signage for ban on smoking in the office. Other places like malls, schools, hospitals also failed to put up the signage.

The sample size of the survey was 150 and around 20 odd places were taken into account for the survey which was done on a pilot-project basis and took around one and half months. The NGO also plans to replicate the survey at district and maybe at state level too.
Commenting on the findings of the survey, at the awareness workshop held on Thursday, project manager of GVHA, Mihir Dave said "Most educational institutions were not displaying the mandatory warning on prohibition of sale of any kind of tobacco product within 100 yards of the institutions."

Dave further said, "Despite the fact that smoking in public places was prohibited with effect from October 2, 2008, most government offices are yet to display the mandatory "No smoking" sign in their respective premises."

Sharing the findings of the survey, president of GVHA, Geeta Raval said that most of the tobacco addicts started consuming tobacco in various forms before they turned 18. Most of them were unaware of the ill effects of tobacco consumption at the time when they started consuming tobacco products. Most of the tobacco consumers interviewed were not only unaware of the ban on smoking in public places but were also of the pictorial warning on tobacco product packs.

Explaining the adverse effects of tobacco consumption at the workshop, director of MP Shah Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Pankaj Shah said "It is sad to notice that out of all the cancer cases in Ahmedabad, 40% are affected due to tobacco consumption. Therefore, even after all the awareness campaigns by the NGOs and government; there have been no noticeable results, especially in the lower income group, added Shah.

Agreeing with Shah, Ruchira Neog of Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), one of the leading national NGOs working in public health and tobacco control said that the moral policing amongst citizens along with implementation of strict laws by state government will help in improving the situation.