All of us are aware of the fact that tobacco chewing is injurious to health. Many health hazards are associated with smoking and tobacco chewing. World Health Organization and several NGOs have joined hands to bring awareness among people about the increasing risk factors of smoking and tobacco chewing.
When Is World No Tobacco Day Celebrated?
World Health Organization has chosen 31st May as World No Tobacco Day. Every year on this day a 24 hour of self-restraintment from all forms of tobacco consumption is observed across the globe. This day is mainly intended to draw attention towards the ill effects of tobacco consumption and smoking on your health. In the year 1987, the member states of the World Health Organization created this Day as World No Tobacco Day. Every year, 31st May is celebrated across the whole world as ‘no smoking and no tobacco’ day. World No Tobacco Day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns organised by WHO along with World AIDS Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Health Day, World Malaria Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day and World Tuberculosis Day.
The Theme of World No Tobacco Day 2019
The World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity to create awareness among common people about the bad effects of tobacco on your heart and lungs, which can lead to various chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. Hence this year the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2019 is ‘Tobacco and Lung Health’, which emphasis on the importance of lungs on general health and well being of all of us. World No Tobacco Day 2019 will focus mainly on the various health issues due to exposure to tobacco and smoking.
Importance and History of No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year so that the chain smokers can be given an opportunity to quit smoking by abstaining themselves from smoking for 24 hours. This is an initiative to bring awareness among people about the health risk associated with smoking such as cancer, Chronic respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and most importantly causes air pollution which affects even the non-smokers. Smoking is strictly prohibited in public areas due to the health risk associated with passive smoking. Passive smoking is known to create major health problems such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and frequent lower respiratory infections, especially in children. Thus, understanding the health hazards associated with the consumption of tobacco and to implement various policies which will help smokers to quit smoking, WHO has chosen a Day to be celebrated worldwide as World No Tobacco Day.
Tobacco first originated thousands of years ago, in America somewhere between 1400-1000 BC. Many native American tribes used to cultivate tobacco traditionally. Tobacco was used as a readily accepted trade item, as it was used to seal a peace treaty or trade agreement and was also used for smoking by the native tribes of America. It was later discovered by Christopher Columbus and introduced to the rest of the world. Tobacco is very addictive as it contains alkaline nicotine which is regarded as a stimulant. Tobacco consumption started increasing at an alarming rate and became the major reason for many death and diseases among people throughout the world. At that time, in the year 1987, the member states of World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day to create awareness among people globally about the health hazards associated with tobacco, smoking and the need to quit smoking. In the year 1987, the World Health Assembly passed a Resolution WHA40.38 calling 7th April as No Tobacco Day. Later in the year 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed calling for 31st May to be celebrated as World No Tobacco Day. From that day onwards every year, 31st May is celebrated creating awareness among people about the health issues related to tobacco as well as general issues related to tobacco consumption, such as illegal trade, effects of passive smoking and initiatives for controlling the consumption of tobacco.
How Is No Tobacco Day Celebrated Across India?
Every year World No Tobacco Day is celebrated on 31st May to educate people about the health issues associated with tobacco consumption and advocate the effective policies in place to help reduce tobacco consumption. This year the focus will be on impact of tobacco consumption on the lungs of the people which may lead to serious health problems such as chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. Let’s understand the importance of World No Tobacco Day.
In India, many activities and events are organised on this day to create public awareness and many Health Champaigns are organized educating people on how to take care of their health and their children’s health. Public awareness is also spread through advertisements in TV, Newspaper, Magazine and through social media on this day. Brochures and pamphlets educating people about the health issues related to tobacco consumption and effective tobacco control policies are circulated among people. Many tobacco and drugs de-addiction camps are set to abstain smokers from tobacco consumption. Public awareness is also spread through posters, banners and rollup. Collective effort of people from all walks of life is required to develop, implement and enforce policies which will help control tobacco consumption.
In What Way Does Tobacco Affect Your Life?
Tobacco is a brown coloured product which is prepared by curing the leaves of tobacco. Tobacco contains alkaloid nicotine and harmala alkaloids, which act as a stimulant. Dried Leaves of tobacco is used for making cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. Tobacco is also consumed as snus, snuff, dipping tobacco and chewing tobacco. Tobacco is addictive in nature due to the presence of alkaloid nicotine. Tobacco consumption has a drastic effect on your lungs, liver and heart and it also responsible for causing cancer. World Health Organisation in 2008 has named tobacco as the single largest preventable cause of death.
Your Family Life
Addiction to tobacco can disrupt your family life. Many health issues such as respiratory diseases and ear infection are common in children due to passive smoking. In adults also, various health issues such as heart and lung diseases, stroke and cancer are reported due to passive smoking. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to the birth of premature babies, with low birth weight and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Your Health & Finance
Smoking tobacco releases almost 7,000 toxic chemical compounds into the air, out of which 69 chemical compounds are known as carcinogens. The toxic substance found in cigarette inhibits your immune system from working at its best. The inhalation of poisonous substances such as carbon monoxide, tar, ammonia, formaldehyde, cyanide, arsenic and DDT are known to cause various heart and lung diseases. Tobacco smoking is also associated with causing serious health issues such as strokes, heart attacks, emphysema and cancer particularly lung cancer, cancer in larynx and mouth and pancreatic cancer. Inhaling the toxic substances inhaled during smoking is known to cause lung cancer in non-smokers also. These are the health hazards associated with smoking.Apart from health hazards, addiction to tobacco can disrupt your finance. Cigarettes are quit expensive and a major portion of a person’s monthly income is spent on buying cigarettes, which may lead to financial instability in the majority of households. Quitting cigarettes can save you a lot of money, instead of spending money on buying cigarettes you can invest in the healthcare of yourself and your family. Quitting cigarette smoking can improve your health as well as your financial condition.
Steps Taken by The World Health Organization (WHO) On World Anti-Tobacco Day
- World Health Organization as developed, implemented and enforced many policies to curb the growing consumption of tobacco globally.
- World Health Organization acts as a central hub for co-ordinating various events organised globally on World No Tobacco Day.
- Each year WHO selects a theme to pass on the strong massage globally against the use of tobacco.
- Every year since 1988, WHO awards a person or an organization for their significant contribution towards controlling the consumption of tobacco.
- WHO also helps many NGOs or organization at the local level to organize national publicity campaigns, conduct various events at local as well as national level, conducting educational campaigns, marches and meetings.
- WHO has aimed at reducing the premature mortality rate due to NCD (i.e non-communicable disease) to one third.
Countries, government and people should work collectively to make people understand the drastic effect of smoking on the health of people and implement stringent policies to control the growing consumption of tobacco. ‘ It is the duty and moral responsibility of each and every individual to educate your family member, friends and relatives about the serious effects of tobacco smoking and help them quit the habit of smoking.
So, ‘Quit smoking for healthy living.’
Some Quotes on ‘World No Tobacco Day’:
“Smoking leaves an unseen scar, it fills your insides with toxins and tar.”
“Your life is in your hands, to make of it what you choose.” » John Kehoe
“The world has the habit of making room for the man whose words and actions show that he knows where he is going.” » Napoleon Hill
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” » Zig Ziglar
“Cigarettes burn holes in your pocket”.
“Burn calories, not cigarettes.”
“Smoking cigarettes is like paying to have your life cut shorter – the most foolish thing anyone can ever do.”
“Replacing the smoke on your face with a smile today will replace illness in your life with happiness tomorrow. Quit now.”
“Smoking does not make you a KILLER per se, but your heart will drown in GUILT if second-hand smoke gave someone in your own family a life-threatening disease. Save a lifetime of regret – quit today.”
“Looking for motivation to quit smoking? Just look into the eyes of your loved ones and ask yourself if they deserve to die because of your second-hand smoke.”
Everyone has the right to clean air. Quit cigarette smoking.
“Disadvantages of smoking are many but those of quitting are none. Advantages of smoking are none but those of quitting are many. Only a fool would make the wrong choice here.”
“Life’s vibrant hues are way too beautiful and precious to be distorted by the smoke of cigarettes.”
“Cigarettes are killers that travel in packs.”
“If you really want to quit smoking, just replace the word TOMORROW with TODAY and LATER with NOW. Why wait until TOMORROW when you can quit smoking TODAY and why to wait until LATER when you can do NOW.”
“A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end and a fool at the other.”
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