Awareness On The Hazards Of Smoking

• “Smoking a cigarette for the beginner is symbolic act. I am no longer my mother’s child, I am tough, I am an adventurer, I am not square. Whatever the individual talent, the act of smoking remains a symbolic declaration of personal identity. As the force of the psychological symbol subsides, the pharmacological effect takes over to sustain the habit.” - TOM OSDEN, New York Times.

• More than five million people under the age of 18 who are currently alive will die prematurely from a smoking related disease. • In 1999, 1 in 10 deaths were due to smoking related diseases. It is estimated that by 2030 1 in 6 will die of the same. • Time ticks away- every cigarette takes 7 minutes off your life.

Stroke Cough Atherosclerosis Myocardial Infarction

Mouth Ulcers Bronchogenic carcinoma Gastric Carcinoma

Gujarat study – On prevalence of smoking among high school students, awareness of ill effects and reasons for smoking. Peshawar study – On awareness of ill effects of smoking among smokers and non smokers in high school. Indiana youth tobacco survey – On ‘exposure to smoking cessation programme’

Will an education program using audiovisual aids to boys in classes VIII and IX in Sri Gopal Naidu Higher Secondary school, Peelamedu, over a period of 2 months, result in increasing the awareness by 50% regarding the ill effects of smoking as evidenced by pre- and postinterventional surveys?

To achieve a 50% increase in the awareness of the ill-effects of smoking in the VIII and IX standard boys of Sri Gopal Naidu Higher Secondary School, Peelamedu. To employ audio-visual aids and other such educational measures to achieve the same.

Design of study : Educational Interventional study Subjects

: All VIII and IX standard boys of Sri Gopal Naidu Higher Secondary School, Peelamedu

Sample size

: 94

Manpower: Student volunteers : 10 Teacher : 1 Materials: Audio system Charts Models Questionnaires

: 1 : 5 : 1 : 200

Incidentals: Travel charges

Pre interventional study – Questionnaires Following 3 days -- Analysis

First part of health education Skit , Lectures , Audio-visual aids 1 week gap

Second part of health education Re-emphasis -- Charts Quiz Crossword Interactive sessions

Post interventional survey -- Questionnaires

Do you smoke? • • • •

Never Have tried once At times Often

Current Prevalence Of Smoking

No. of students 86 3 2 3

Percentage 91.49 3.19 2.13 3.19

92% 2% 3%

Often At times

3%

Have tried once Never

Inspiration

No. of students

Percentage

Family Media Curiosity Friends

0 0 3 5

0 0 37.5 62.5

Inspiration For Smoking

62%

38%

Curiosity

Friends

Family

Media

Pleasures derived Relieves exam tension Acceptance from friends Helps forget problems Just for fun

Reasons Given For Smoking

No. of students Percentage 3 37.5 1 12.5 0 0 4 50 Just for fun

13% 0%

49% 38%

Relieves exam tension Acceptance from friends Helps forget problems

Awareness of hazards of Passive Smoking Awareness

No. of students PrePosttest test

Percentage Pre- Post-test test

Yes

71

91

75.53

96.81

No

9

1

9.57

1.06

Don’t know

14

2

14.89

2.13

Awareness of ill effects Number aware

% Aware

% Rise in awareness

Ill effects

Pre

Post

•Cough •Staining of teeth •Lung cancer •Mouth ulcer •Heart attack/stroke •High B.P. •Stomach cancer •Blood cancer

34 31

90 76

36.17 95.74 32.97 80.85

59.57 47.88

46

92

48.9

97.87

48.97

18

52

19.1

55.31

36.21

41

89

43.61 94.68

51.07

27 26

64 53

28.72 68.08 27.64 56.38

39.36 28.74

34

11

36.17 11.70

24.47

Pre

Post

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Cough

Staining of teeth

PRE - TEST

Lung cancer

Mouth ulcer

POST - TEST

Heart attack / Stroke

Effectiveness of health education Total score of 94 students Average score per student % Awareness of ill effects

Pre-test

Post-test

803

1582

8.54

16.83

42.71%

84.14%

• Comparing pre test and post test results there is a 97% increase in awareness. • ‘t’ – value implies significant increase in % awareness.

Comparing the results of our study with similar studies conducted among school children across the world we arrived at the following inferences….. “ Tobacco is the only legally available product which kills people when entirely used as intended. ” - The Oxford Medical Companion, 1994

Current prevalence of smoking Studies •Our study •AIIMS study •US study •Kenya study

Prevalence 8.51% 15% 61% 32.2%

“ If GOD intended man to smoke, He would have set him on fire” - Anonymous

Inspiration for smoking Studies •Our study

Results Peer pressure- 62.5% Curiosity-37.5%

•Gujarat study

Peer presure-15.8% Curiosity-34.2% Media-7.9% Family-4.4%

•AIIMS study

Peer pressure 21%

“Cigarette : A fire at one end, a fool at the other and a bit of tobacco in between” - Anonymous

Reasons given for smoking Study

Results

•Our study

Just for fun-50% Relieves exam tension-37.5% Acceptance from friends-12.5%

•Delhi study

Just for fun-83.3%

•Gujarat study

Just for fun-54.4% Relieves exam tension-32.4% Acceptance from friends-15.8% Helps forget problems-16.6%

•Peshawar study

Just for fun-33% Relieves exam tension-33%

“ To an average smoker, the world is his ashtray” - Alexander Chase

Awareness of the hazards of passive smoking Study •Our study •AIIMS study •Peshawar study

Awareness 75.53% 80% 94%

“Passive smoking…. There is nothing passive about it” - Anonymous

Awareness of the hazards of smoking Ill-effects

Awareness in… Our study AIIMS Gujarat study study 1.Lung cancer 48.9% 90% 100% 2.Respiratory 36.17% 54.66% 49.54% illness 3.Mouth ulcer 19.1% 26.78% 4.CA stomach

27.64%

-

45.34%

“ If we lose the battle against tobacco, we lose the war against Cancer.” - John Arrandando

CONCLUSION Nearly all experimentation with tobacco occurs before high school graduation. If young people can be kept tobacco free, most of them will never start using tobacco. It was in an effort to catch them young that we undertook this project at the end of which we were able to achieve a significant 97% increase in awareness. “ The only safer cigarette is your last one” - Duane Alan Hahn

ction.” u tr es d n w o r u yo to te u ib ands contr h r u yo t o n e k a m d n a … “ 5) 9 1 : 2 ( N A R U Q Y L O H -