The Institute of Dental Sciences on behalf of the SOA University conducted an anti-tobacco awareness programme at the Bhubaneswar airport and railway station on Sunday. The programme’s USP was that they had cleverly interlaced an entire street play with an educational talk.
A review of research literature reveals that cancer due to tobacco is a major cause of death among Indian adults. According to the study conducted by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, India (GATS), 2010, smokeless tobacco use in India is highest in the world among 25.9 per cent of adults, 32.2 per cent of men and 18.4 per cent of women.
Another key finding in the report is that exposure to secondhand smoke (passive smoking) remains high with 52.3 per cent and 29 per cent of the population exposed to secondhand smoke at home and public places, respectively. Passive smoking not only harms the smokers but also the nonsmokers around them.