Huff and Puff

he World Health Organization has estimated that the world comprises approximately 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24, with more than 85 per cent of them living in developing countries. These young people are generally healthy but they are the targeted population for the tobacco use and sale promotion.

   Tobacco is the world’s single most avoidable cause of death and illness as stayed by a WHO Report published in 2003. According to the World Bank Report of 1999, tobacco is expected to take the lives of nearly one-half of the world’s 1.1billion smokers. A structured questionnaire was used for the research and around 196 from a local medical university belonging to the second and final year were surveyed.

    The overall smoking prevalence among the students from both classes was 14.5 per cent, out of which 32 per cent were males and only one per cent females. The average age for smoking initiation was 18.8 years. Half of them caught the habit after joining medical college and most of them identified the student’s hostel to be the most vulnerable place. About 80 per cent of the students living in the hostel were smokers.

    Majority of the students considered doctors to be role models for people. They were of the view that doctors should not smoke to set an example for patients visiting them. Although the university where the survey was conducted was considered a ‘No Smoking University’ but strict anti-tobacco measures were not implemented.