Campaign Aims for Tobacco-free Dubai

DUBAI - The Dubai Health Authority launched an extensive anti-tobacco campaign on Sunday, targeting women and children in particular, and announced an awareness programme to be conducted in five phases till May 31 next year.

Asma Ali Zain

Published: Mon 1 Jun 2009, 2:06 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Dec 2021, 9:42 AM

Starting this week, the campaign will also target worshippers through the Friday sermon, according to Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Kalban, the authority’s Acting Director of Primary Health Care.

The awareness programme, launched to mark the World No Tobacco Day, follows recommendations by the World Health Organisation, including six policy statements against tobacco outlined in the global health body’s mPower project.

Entitled Tobacco-free Dubai — Together for a Society Free from Smoking, the campaign will begin the first phase by training physicians, raising awareness and inviting volunteers for the phases to follow.

The second phase of the campaign will start in September and will target students from G7-12 through lectures and campaigns to raise awareness.

The third phase will be launched in January 2010 in institutes and shopping malls. The fourth phase, in March 2010, will focus on women, through counselling at associations, clubs and colleges.

With school children as young as nine smoking and the numbers increasing steadily, health officials say that there is need to start educating them early.

“Social media marketing tools play an important role in today’s world,” Dr. Prem Jagyasi, MD and CEO of ExHealth said. “Their use is now necessary if we need to spread the message to young population. That is why we made an exclusive website for the campaign and made use of Facebook and Twitter also.” The campaign’s  website www.notobaccocampaign.com has received 7,000 hits over the past two weeks.

Dr Maha Ali Hassan, Deputy Head of the Nad Al Sheba Health Centre that has organised the DHA campaign, said peer pressure, the need to appear mature and a ‘feel good’ factor were among the reasons children commonly cited for smoking.

“For schoolchildren, the initiative will include distribution of warning pictures depicting the health hazards of smoking,” she said.

“The topic is still taboo among women, while children are the new targets of tobacco companies,” Dr Maha said.

“Women and children do not come to us seeking treatment. We have to go to them. In this campaign we will ensure complete confidentiality,” she said.

“We want to tell women that smoking increases the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, premature babies, stillbirth and early menopause, among other diseases in women,” she added.

The WHO’s anti-smoking policies the the DHA will follow include the following: monitoring tobacco use and prevention; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and increasing taxes on tobacco.

“This project also aims to advance the level of health awareness in all segments in society,” she said. “It will also help smokers quit and deal with bad habits and behaviours that are harmful and will ultimately lead to a fall in the problem of addiction.” She added that the risk of various types of cardiovascular diseases, tumours and cancer — attendant upon tobacco use — will also be addressed.

Email: asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com