Growing up tobacco-free, healthy and honest

[हिंदी] [Photo] According to The Lancet (April 2011), the underlying causes of many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are shared and modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, foods high in saturated and trans-fats, salt, and sugar (especially in sweetened drinks), physical inactivity, and the harmful consumption of alcohol. These cause more than two-thirds of all new cases of NCDs and increase the risk of complications in people with NCDs. Tobacco use alone accounts for one in six of all deaths resulting from NCDs. So to stay healthy, discussants made an appeal to about 1000 students at Rani Laxmi Bai Inter College, Sector 14, Indira Nagar, Lucknow, to live a healthy lifestyle - and - neither give bribe or take bribe - for a healthy society.

WHO Director-General’s Awardee Professor (Dr) Rama Kant and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey were the keynote discussants at this seminar to encourage youth to stay healthy and become responsible young citizens.

"The most urgent and immediate priority for public health is tobacco control. The Lancet proposes as a goal for 2040, a world essentially free from tobacco. And it is not possible unless children and young people become leaders and grow without the slow poison of tobacco" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, former Head of Surgery Department, CSM Medical University and current Executive Director, RCTC. "Tobacco is addictive, is one of the lead causes for cancers, heart diseases, and other ailments, and kills 10 lakh people in India alone every year. Wise are those who never begin tobacco use. If deceptive tobacco promotion has led someone to use tobacco, quit before it is too late" said Prof Rama Kant, author of award winning Hindi book on tobacco hazards - 'Rakh Ke Dher Par' - and President-elect, Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) 2012.

Dr Sandeep Pandey encouraged the students to become responsible young people and refrain from any corrupt means in their day-to-day lives. He also appealed to them to take a pledge to never take a bribe or give it later when they are grown up. "Right To Information (RTI) Act is a powerful tool for the campaign against corruption" said Dr Pandey. He guided students on how to write a RTI application and asked them to consider using RTI while doing their school projects. "One student of City Montessori School (CMS) had earlier written a RTI application which resulted in cleaning of garbage in front of her school and building up of public library at that place" said Dr Pandey.

"Tobacco users need help to quit. Studies show that few people understand the specific health risks of tobacco use. For example, a 2009 survey revealed that only 37% of smokers knew that smoking causes coronary heart disease and only 17% knew that it causes stroke.  Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco, most want to quit. Counselling and medication can more than double the chance that a smoker who tries to quit will succeed" said Prof Rama Kant who is the Director of Tobacco Cessation Clinic (TCC) and also heads Piles To Smiles Clinic treating haemorrhoids (piles) without surgery by using latest techniques like DGHAL and RAR.

Rahul Kumar Dwivedi coordinated the event along with the Principal of Rani Laxmi Bai Inter College Ms Arora. It was jointly organized by Citizens for Healthy Lucknow (CHL) Campaign, Indian Society Against Smoking (ISAS), Abhinav Bharat Foundation (ABF), and Asha Parivar.
CNS


Published in:
Citizen News Service (CNS), India/Thailand
The States Times, Jammu & Kashmir
Elites TV, California, USA
CNS Tobacco Control Initiative, India