ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP):Expert on World no-Tobacco day stressed the joint efforts of society, raise taxes and awareness drives of social media platforms to control the ever-increasing trend of smoking among youngsters as studies show that around 38 million
young people aged 13-15 using tobacco globally.
Talking to PTV news channel, Consultant & Expert, Anti Drugs Narcotics Campaign Syed Zulfiqar Hussain explained that tobacco day is an effort to control the consumption of Tobacco around the world, adding, aims to inform the public about the health implications that are associated with the use of tobacco including lung cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, and many more.
He said that Over 22 million people (20% of adults) in Pakistan smoke tobacco. 32% of men and 6% of women smoke. However, smokeless forms of tobacco, such as paan, gutka and naswar, are also popular. More than 1 in four young people (aged 13-15) are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes.
This year, the theme is “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference”, underscores the critical need to prevent future generations from falling prey to the harmful impact of tobacco use, he added.
Consultant Pulmonologist Aneel Kumar mentioned that Pakistan’s youth is a particular targeted group when it comes to the use of tobacco, which is why their involvement in raising awareness is need of hour, adding, Pakistan is among a few countries where tobacco production and consumption is increasing enormously, there is an urgent need for health promotion and anti-tobacco education for combating the epidemic of smoking, he added.
About 8 million people die each year from tobacco-related diseases, accounting for 13 percent of deaths worldwide, he added.
He stressed parents leading role and said that healthy, tobacco-free youth are more likely to perform better academically, which translates into a more skilled and capable workforce in the future.
This fosters innovation, economic growth, and societal progress, as individuals can fully realize their lifetime potential without the ill health burden of tobacco use, he mentioned.
