CLEARING THE AIR FOR OUR CHILDREN
Mumbaikars Are On Guard Against The Ill-Effects Passive Smoking Can Have On Kids …………Madhavi Rajadhyaksha | TNN Mumbai: Its an unwritten rule Kandivali resident Aziz Sheikh imposes on himself. Aware of the harm his lit cigarette can cause to his children and wife, he steps out of his home every time he wants to puff. Sheikhs concerns about passive smoking are echoed by an overwhelming majority of Mumbaikars, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the voluntary organisation Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF).
Mumbaikars Are On Guard Against The Ill-Effects Passive Smoking Can Have On Kids …………Madhavi Rajadhyaksha | TNN Mumbai: Its an unwritten rule Kandivali resident Aziz Sheikh imposes on himself. Aware of the harm his lit cigarette can cause to his children and wife, he steps out of his home every time he wants to puff. Sheikhs concerns about passive smoking are echoed by an overwhelming majority of Mumbaikars, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the voluntary organisation Salaam Bombay Foundation (SBF).
The organisation, which works for the rights of children to have a tobacco-free world, randomly interviewed in June 3,118 Mumbaikars in the 18 to 50 age group at railway stations and popular malls to assess their attitudes and awareness levels regarding the impact of passive smoking, particularly on children. Around 42% of the respondents admitted to having consumed tobacco in some form.
Significantly, nine out of every 10 people interviewed knew that tobacco smoke was harmful to children. Yet we found that people largely associated passive smoking with lung cancer or asthma, but didnt know that it also has other serious health effects, such as heart disease in children or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, said Devika Chadha, project director of SBF.
An overwhelming majority of those surveyed said they would react if they saw a person smoking in the presence of a child. While 68.2% said they would request the person to stop smoking, another 29.8% said they would move the child away. Very few had a care-a-damn attitude towards children. The 12.8% who didnt know what to do can now refer to a new Union government notification that comes into effect from October 2 and bans smoking in public places.
The respondents also acknowledged that innocent children were currently exposed to passive smoking. While 63.57% felt children were exposed to passive smoking at home, 74% said they were exposed outside. This shows that though people are aware about the harm passive smoking can cause their children, they havent stopped smoking in their homes, said Seema Sood of SBF. She pointed out that smokers often stepped into balconies in the belief that they were keeping smoke away from kids. But they dont realise that the smoke caught in their hair or on their clothes also negatively affects children, she said.
If children pick up smoking at a young age, interviewees felt celebrities had a huge role to play. Nearly 81% felt that smoking among celebrities influenced youngsters and 78% felt they should stop smoking in public places.
For independent experts, the survey findings spell Mumbais readiness to go smoke-free. Besides high levels of awareness about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, the survey shows that there is a keen interest among Mumbaikars to take action to protect their children, said Shobha John, who co-chairs the Global Smoke-Free partnership. Pointing out that children have a right to a smoke-free world, she said that making restaurants, malls and railway stations smoke-free would make them more welcoming to young ones. Restaurants in New York, for instance, found more patrons after smoking was banned, as parents would also take their children out with them, she said.
PREVENTIVE ACTION
An overwhelming majority said they would act against a smoker who lights up in the presence of a child
PREVENTIVE ACTION
An overwhelming majority said they would act against a smoker who lights up in the presence of a child