Tobacco.org

• Sheesha smoking “fashionable” for Qatari girls - study 

Sheesha smoking is becoming increasing fashionable amongst young Qatari women as they look for alternatives to smoking cigarettes, a new study has found.

Smoking, traditionally considered culturally taboo and socially unacceptable by older women in the Gulf state, is becoming more socially acceptable amongst younger national women, according a poll on lifestyle and health choices by the University of Calgary-Qatar.

“Participants also observed that even though smoking is a culturally taboo and socially unacceptable behaviour, the younger Qatari generation thinks differently,” the report said.

“They noticed that water-pipe [sheesha] smoking is emerging as a fashionable mode of tobacco use in Qatar, especially among young girls. There is an assumption that for these individuals, smoking sheesha is more acceptable than smoking cigarettes,” it added.

Poor diet choices coupled with lack of exercise and a highly sedentary lifestyle are all contributing to the rapidly growing rate of lifestyle diseases amongst GCC nationals.

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• Qatar- Peers, media push young to smoking 

They are well aware of the associated health risks, yet peer pressure and the influence of media turn more young people in Qatar into tobacco users.

Interestingly, the less-educated among teenagers and those coming from highly-educated families and those getting QR10 and more as daily allowance are more likely to use tobacco.

While Qatar has one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the GCC, 20 percent of the teenagers here use tobacco, a leading cause of the disease. A recent study by national researchers Dr Hamda Qutba, Abdullah Al Jumaily, Dr Shaikha Al Ma'adeed and Dr Al Arabi Attaullah, revealed that Qatar's young population is taking to tobacco in spite of being aware of the health risks associated. The study among 971 secondary school students aged 14 to 17 years, focused on the extent of tobacco use, the types and behavioural patterns.

The study revealed that on an average, 19.8 percent of teenagers here use tobacco of which 60.9 percent are Qataris while 39.1 are non-Qataris.

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HMC highlights dangers of smoking 

The ill effects of smoking were highlighted by a medical expert as the Hamad Medical Corporation held a World No Tobacco Day awareness campaign and health camp yesterday.

HMC’s Stop Smoking Clinic head Dr Ahmed al-Mulla said smoking shisha, which leads to more nicotine intake into the body, was more dangerous than cigarette and that it can cause lung diseases.

“We at the Stop Smoking Clinic receive patients, who smoke shisha and have suffered from infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis A. People need to know that tobacco chewing is also very dangerous as it can lead to oral cancer,” he cautioned.

Dr al-Mulla said this year the HMC will uphold the World Health Organisation’s No Tobacco Day theme of promoting the ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.’

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Passive smoking kills many: Expert 

DOHA: Smoking is major risk factor of lung cancer according to an expert. According to Iyad Mohammed Tabishat from Al Amal hospital, passive smoking is killing a number of non-smokers, at a forum held as part of World Cancer Day recently at Supreme Council of health.

“At least 60 out of 4000 toxic substances in smoke produced by burning tobacco in cigarettes are carcinogenic,” Tabishat said.

“Studies in Qatar show that the proportion of smokers here varies with age. At least 18 percent of the smokers in Qatar are in the age group between 15 and 20, 39.5 percent are aged 21 to 30 while 27.2 percent are 31 to 40 years of age, 12 percent between 41 and 50 and 3.1 percent age aged above 50.”

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• More take to Sheesha 

DOHA: A form of tobacco use that is described by experts as being worse than cigarette addiction is catching on fast in the cash-rich Qatari community. Hounded by strident anti-smoking campaigns, cigarette smokers are gradually switching to Sheesha (hubble-bubble).

And the young, not only men but increasingly women, are falling prey to what are money-spinning rackets. A Sheesha joint on average makes between QR10,000 and QR15,000 a day.

It is no secret that come Ramadan and Sheesha smoking becomes a fad among Qatari men and women alike.

The irony is that while the government is curbing cigarette smoking and has passed stringent laws banning it in public places, cafes offering Sheesha drags are being encouraged by the authorities.

While the government has stopped issuing new licences for Sheesha joints, opening such “fancy” outlets in the Cultural Village or Souq Waqif is permitted, even encouraged.

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HMC stop smoking clinic achieves 35% success rate 

The Smoking Cessation Clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation’s Medicine Department has a success rate of 35% with its treatment, according to clinic head Dr Ahmad Mohamed al-Mulla.

He was speaking to reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a one-day symposium organised by the Supreme Council of Health on the hazards of second-hand smoke.

“We started operating the smoking cessation clinic 10 years ago, running three clinics per week and we have been recording up to 35% success in helping our patients to stop smoking,” he said.

He said that some 25 patients were being received at each clinic on Monday (7am-3pm), Tuesday (5.30pm-8.30pm) and Wednesday (7am-11am).

Patients may call 44391177 to book an appointment.

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• 36% of Qatar population use tobacco  

Some 36% of Qatar’s population use tobacco in one form or other and 10% of the smokers in the country are children, a Public Health and Disease Control consultant said yesterday.

Speaking at a one-day symposium organised by the Supreme Council of Health to highlight the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, Hamad Medical Corporation’s Smoking Cessation Clinic head Dr Ahmad Mohamed al-Mulla said the majority of the smokers in the country was aged 18 years and above.

“Some 10% of these smokers, who mostly use cigarettes and shesha, are children. Another 6% are women, while some 2% are students, who began smoking at the age of 12-15 years,” he said.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Public Health recently, smokers in Qatar consume about 1bn cigarettes a year with 40% of the adults and 22% of the teens smoking. . . .

In an opening speech, the SCH Public Health department director Dr Mohamed al-Thani said that smoking was the second major cause of deaths worldwide, stressing that one hour spent in a room with a smoker increased the possibility of lung cancer by 100% for non-smokers.

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Pledge to intensify anti-smoking drive 

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has vowed to step up its anti-smoking awareness programmes as part of its annual anti-tobacco campaign.

In collaboration with a number of educational institutions such as the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), the Supreme Council of Health held a series of lectures on the risks associated with tobacco and passive smoking.

The head of Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr Sheikha al-Anoud bint Mohamed al-Thani, explained that the Smoking Control Unit is responsible for the implementation of The Emiri Law No 20 of 2002 on the control of tobacco and its derivatives.

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SCH vows no let-up in anti-smoking fight 

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has vowed to maintain its momentum in the fight against smoking in public places, including commercial centres, by carrying on with its anti-smoking campaign throughout the year.

The SCH Smoking Control Unit launched the campaign in March to raise awareness of the hazards of smoking, as well as the effects of second-hand smoke.

So far, the unit has recorded up to 703 violations as a result of 442 raids or inspectors' visits.

SCH Non-Communicable Diseases department head Dr Sheikha Abu Sheikha maintained that the council will continue to educate the public on the adverse effects of smoking on the smokers themselves and on others, including children and pregnant women.

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• 1bn cigarettes smoked in Qatar 

At least one billion cigarettes are smoked in Qatar each year, averaging 12,000 per individual, according to a recent study by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q).

The study also shows that $65m is spent on cigarettes annually, while $150m is spent to cover the healthcare costs of patients affected by smoking-related diseases, according to the study, which was reported by a local daily.

Smoking shisha, a leisure activity in Qatar, is the most hazardous, according to the study. In the absence of a filter, it is a hundred times more dangerous than a cigarette as it allows fumes to pass directly to the smoker’s lungs.

“Smokers, who have psychological and other problems when they plan to quit the habit should follow the periodic medical and consulting follow–up,” said Dr Mohammed Ferjy, teaching assistant in Family Medicine and manager of the Primary Care and Clinical Skills Department of WCMC-Q.

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‘No Tobacco Day’ sends message to youth 

Health officials yesterday urged youths, especially females, to be wary of the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco use on their health and that of the community at large.

They were taking part in a one-day public seminar to mark the ‘World No Tobacco Day’ organised by the Supreme Council of Health’s Anti-Smoking Campaign Committee with a slogan: “Boys and Girls For Change: Tobacco Control Now”.

Observed around the world every year on May 31, ‘World No Tobacco Day’ is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe.

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Qatar’s anti-tobacco drive gets in top gear 

Marking the World No Tobacco Day, yesterday, Qatar kicked off a year long programme enhancing its drive against smoking. With at least 40 percent of the adult population and 22 percent of youngsters in Qatar being smokers, the rate is double the numbers in Europe. . . .

In Qatar, the annual smoking rate is more than 12,000 cigarettes per smoker, according to a national study. At least one billion cigarettes are used each year with a spending above $65m, here. Also the value of medical services provided for the treatment of diseases associated with smoking reached more than $150m, in addition to the government spending on service agencies responsible for monitoring imports of tobacco.

“Qatar’s anti-smoking activities are not just celebrations,” said Dr Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department at the SCH.

“World No Tobacco Day is a strong start for a comprehensive year-long programme set by the tobacco control unit in Qatar. Controlling tobacco and its derivatives is just the first step into monitoring similar materials of its kind,” he said at the Supreme Council of Health symposium marking the anti-tobacco day.

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Inspectors detect 414 smoking violations at malls 

Inspection teams of Tobacco Control Unit of Public Health Department have controlled 414 smoking violations in shopping malls since the launch of the intensive anti –smoking campaign last march, Supreme Council of Health (SCH) revealed.

SCH has increased the number of the health inspectors to seven and field trips to 261.

The trained volunteers increased to four in line with a deliberate systematic plan, said Mohammed bin Hamad al Thani, Manager of Public Health Department of SCH.

Tobacco control intensive campaign was launched to activate 2002 Law No. (20) regulating the control of tobacco products.

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No-smoking drive at Qatar Academy  

The Supreme Council of Health in coordination with Qatar Foundation's Health, Safety, Security and Environment Directorate successfully brought its No-Smoking Campaign to Qatar Academy recently.

The campaign's objective is to draw particular attention to the harmful effects of tobacco.

With a panel of seven doctors and health educators on hand at the senior school, students took turns reading informative brochures

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• Anti-smoking measures insufficient: Survey  

Even as the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has intensified its campaign against smoking in public places, a large number of nationals and residents feel that the measures taken by the authorities to combat this menace are far from satisfactory.

In an online survey conducted by Al Sharq, the majority of respondents (58 percent) said they were not satisfied with the ongoing SCH campaign and called for stricter measures against those violating the anti-tobacco law in the country.

Some pointed out that the ban on smoking had been openly violated in many offices of ministries, companies and institutions. The ban has also become a convenient excuse for some employees to leave their office quite frequently under the pretext of going out to smoke.

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