Manbhum Ananda Ashram Nityananda Trust (MANT)

Tobacco Use Prevention

Tobacco consumption in its varied sort and style is being considered as the number one silent killer in the world among all lifestyle related diseases. It is therefore necessary to draw up an intervention programme with a flexibility of carrying the message to the communities as well to cover the student/non-student youths giving the adolescents and young people the wherewithal to resist the

social and media pressures that encourage tobacco use. Targeting as such with tobacco use prevention programmes can prevent the lifelong dependence on nicotine that brings in its train myriad diseases and eventual premature death. MANT has adopted ‘Life Skills’ approach to build up a preventive temperament in our target group by integrating prevention efforts such as policy advocacy, health promotion and awareness campaigns with cessation programmes including educational and behavioural approaches to quit smoking.

It was our endeavour to impart information and teach norms and refusal skills with a problem specific focus. Our ‘Life Skills interactive training’ is emphasizing the application of general skills to situations directly related to tobacco use such as the application of general assertive skills to situations involving peer pressure. In fine, it is psychologically inoculating the adolescents / youths to resist the various social pressures they encounter that encourage them to smoke. To arrive at our destined point we have arranged instructional activities that are interactive e.g. role-playing, debate, dramatization (we are having a skit of our own), paired and small group instruction and co-operative learning activities (i.e. team project).

Facilitators for these activities are community people and peers for whom T.O.T. has been arranged. The programme is an attempt to develop strategic actions to reduce consumption (host), diminish the power of tobacco (agent) and lower the accessibility and acceptability of tobacco use (environment). The programme under discussion is being implemented in ten (10) Paras (Neighborhoods) of two slums of South Kolkata namely Tiljala and Topshia (Word No- 66 and 65 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation) with population of 35,000 with support from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and Office of WHO Representative to India, New Delhi

Major Findings From Baseline :

† According to smoking experiences of the respondents, 68% have tried Cigarette and 37% have tried bidi and 56% have tried chewing tobacco
† 31.67% consume cigarette and 11% consume bidi everyday. 22% take cigarette and 11% take bidi occasionally
† 34% consume chewing tobacco everyday while 15.33% consume chewing tobacco occasionally
† There are very few (0.66% of cigarette and 0.33% bidi) sellers who refuse to sale tobacco because of respondent’s minor age
† 49.67% respondents stated that their fathers consume cigarette or bidi
† 20.33% father and 20% mother are used to take chewing tobacco
† 46% of the respondents opined that they would definitely take tobacco offered by their peers, while 22.33% said they probably would have the same
† 45.33% of respondents would probably take tobacco during the next 12 months, 30.67% would definitely take it
† 30% of the tobacco users think that chewing tobacco is an alternative to cigarette smoking
† 66.66% respondents agreed that they have inhaled second hand smoke during last 7 days
† 46.33% of respondents have thought of quitting tobacco during past 12 months, while 31.67% did not think so
† 33% of respondents opined that they would probably accept tobacco offered by their peers –who are of age group of 15 to 17 years. 17.67% respondents opined that –they would definitely take if offered by peers, who are of the age group of 18 to 19 years

Objectives :

‡ To deter and control tobacco use among adolescents and youths in and around two slums of Kolkata
‡ To deter the onset of tobacco use among adolescents and youths
‡ To extend support to those adolescents and youths, willing to quit tobacco

Strategies :

» Develop and use advocacy, educational, and promotional campaigns and materials that encourage people for cessation of and not to start tobacco use
» Peer education approach will be used to inform and empower youths and adolescents to avoid tobacco consumption in whatever form
» Provision of community counseling services for early cessation of tobacco use and how to avoid peer pressure and successful negotiations with various environments that promote tobacco use
» School based programme to inform the students about the harmfulness of tobacco and help them to avoid tobacco use in future
» Community based and youth club led approach to have wider coverage and to reach youths and adolescents in their respective community setting
» Empowerment of youths and adolescents relating to tobacco use prevention through the provision of life skills training methodology and curriculum

Activities

Advocacy programmes for both the officials of the KMC and elected representatives:

An advocacy programmes was organized by involving leaders of the youth clubs, elected representatives, teachers, health personnels, Political Activists, NGO/CBO representatives and Officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation along with other concerned group of people to sensitize them about the importance of the programme and to involve them in programme implementation with a view to promote enabling environment.

Sensitization programme for the teachers of the local schools

15 sensitization programmes was organized for the teachers in their respective schools to capacitate them to be the resource persons to disseminate anti-tobacco messages in schools regularly and to involve them in formation of anti-tobacco clubs in their respective schools and in organization of school awareness programmes and weekly discussions in schools

Awareness Campaigns

30 Theatrical presentations on the harmfulness of tobacco in Schools and in community
Audio visual campaign on tobacco menace at schools, youth clubs and workplaces
Group discussions at schools (with the members of the anti-tobacco clubs), youth clubs, workplaces and community meeting places
15 Awareness campaigns for the parents of the adolescents at schools
1 one day convention of youths on “Understanding the Tobacco menace”
Prepared flash cards on the harmfulness of tobacco to facilitate the discussions and awareness generation campaign
Sensitization of heads of the Youth Clubs, small shop owners, parents and community leaders
Smoke Free Football Tournament

Tobacco Use Prevention

Major Findings From Baseline :

Objectives :

Strategies :

Activities

Awareness Campaigns

Related Publications & Posters

Publications

Posters