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• Anti-smoking campaign targets young grooms 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- The catchy slogan, "Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us," is meant to entice young grooms to give up smoking by offering an attractive incentive.

And, indeed, hundreds have expressed interest in the first anti-smoking drive of its kind in the kingdom, with one man saying he is ready to take up smoking just to be eligible for the grand prize - an all-expenses-paid wedding. . . .

Since June 20, banners have gone up on overpasses and bridges over the Saudi capital's major highways, depicting the campaign slogan in pink and reddish brown. Next to it are the faceless outlines of a bride, dressed in white and carrying a bouquet of flowers, and of a man wearing a black, ceremonial cloak over his white thobe, the traditional robe Saudi men wear.

The quit-smoking-drive is also being advertised in malls, at universities and in magazines.

The organizer, a local charity called Purity, stipulates that the marriage is the man's first and that he has a recent marriage contract. In Islam, the contract is usually signed before a couple moves in together.

A draw on Aug. 6 will include the names of the men who successfully quit smoking in a weeklong course. The winner will have all wedding expenses paid while 20 runners-up will get free furniture.

Sulaiman al-Soby, secretary general of Purity, said the aim is to create a smoke-free family. One-third of Saudi school children live in homes with smokers, according to a 2007 health survey.

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Health workers urged to combat smoking 

Health care providers should intensify efforts to combat smoking since there is an alarming increase in the number of smokers in the Kingdom, said Dr. Najwa Al-Ghamdi at the inauguration of a symposium on Smoking Cessation — Improving the Role of Health Care Providers at King Fahd Medical City (KAMC) yesterday.

In her opening remarks, Al-Ghamdi, chairwoman of the symposium, pointed out that one sixth of the Kingdom’s six million smokers are women. “We hope that this event will act as a wake-up call to all health care providers to implement a multidisciplinary approach in assisting patients with tobacco addiction.”

Al-Ghamdi, who is a consultant clinical pharmacist, said health care providers could play an effective role in disseminating information on the ill effects of smoking. “Pharmacists have easy access to people and they can approach members of the public in a friendly way to help them quit smoking,” she said.

The symposium was organized by KAMC as part of a health awareness campaign conducted throughout the Kingdom in connection with World No Tobacco Day.

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• Cancer patient sues tobacco firms 

A Saudi citizen has filed a lawsuit against two tobacco companies asking for $10 million (SR37.5 million) in compensation for the health damages he suffered from smoking.

This is the second lawsuit from the Kingdom and considered the first personal case against tobacco companies in the Middle East, said Abdullah Seruji, executive director of the Smoking and Drugs Awareness Association.

He said a court in Jeddah has accepted the lawsuit from Abu Abdullah, a businessman.

The victim had throat cancer and went though a major surgery in King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. . . .

Seruji noted that Saudi citizens are no less important than American or European citizens where they file lawsuits against tobacco companies and win huge financial compensations.

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• Hookah smoking just as bad for teeth as cigarettes 

Water pipes (hookah) might be a safer way to smoke, but they are as damaging to the teeth and gums as the cigarettes. . . .

However, water pipe smoke contains the same toxins as cigarette smoke. Previous studies have suggested that hookah smoking increases heart rate and blood pressure and impairs lung function.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm studied 262 adults in Saudi Arabia, where hookah smoking is widespread, to find out if hookahs are as tough on the teeth as cigarettes. . . .

The researchers found that about 20 percent of all study participants had signs of gum disease, which is marked by inflammation and redness in the gums in its earlier stages and later, destruction of the bones and soft tissue supporting the teeth, possibly leading to tooth loss. But while only eight percent of non-smokers had gum disease, 30 percent of water pipe smokers and 24 percent of cigarette smokers were affected.

When researchers weighed other factors, such as study participants' ages, they found that water pipe smokers were five times more likely to show signs of gum disease than non-smokers. Cigarette smokers had a nearly four-times greater risk than non-smokers.

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Anti-smoking campaign launched 

The Fourth National Anti-Smoking Campaign was launched here on Monday. The campaign was formally inaugurated by Prince Mish’al Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah, in Crown Plaza Hotel here.

The campaign will officially start its activities Tuesday by having an anti-smoking symposium wherein professors, consultants, experts and representatives from government’s anti-smoking programs will participate.

According to Dr. Abdurraheem Qari, the symposium president, this year’s campaign will concentrate on the doctors’ role in encouraging the smokers to quit the deadly habit.

The campaign has the support from both the public and private sectors: The Ministry of Health, National Guard, Nahdi Pharmacies and the International Medical Center have extended their helping hand to the campaign.

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• Number of smokers surges in Saudi Arabia 

The number of smokers in Saudi Arabia has increased to six million, including 600,000 women, said Naif Al-Saeed, director of the Charitable Society to Combat Smoking in Al-Ahsa province.

He said 45 percent of women smokers in the Kingdom are in the Eastern Province. There are also 772,000 teenage smokers, including intermediate and secondary school students, he added.

Meanwhile, Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed will launch an anti-smoking campaign to enlighten the public on the negative effects of smoking. . . .

Saudi Arabia is the fourth largest importer of cigarettes in the world. Thousands of workers die annually as a result of inhaling the smoke of fellow smokers during working hours.

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Ministry of Health issues smoking ban 

Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeah notified Wednesday all hospitals and Health Affairs offices around the country of a ban on smoking at their premises. The ban applies to all offices pertaining to the ministry and public health sectors, and even includes vehicles belonging to the ministry.

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Passive smoking killing thousands 

JEDDAH: Thousands of workers die annually as a result of inhaling the smoke of fellow-smokers during working hours. “What happens is non-smokers working in smoking environments inhale the tobacco chemicals throughout the day and suffer from the same health problems that smokers experience,” Dr. Ashraf Amir, a family medicine consultant, said at an anti-smoking awareness campaign launched by the Ministry of Health here on Monday night.

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• Smoking responsible for one in 10 adult deaths 

Hospitals and doctors have intensified the Kingdom’s anti-smoking campaign, which has already become widespread with smoking restrictions in many public places.

“Strangely, despite the campaign against smoking, the habit seems to be growing,” said Dr. Ashraf A. Amir, chief medical officer at the International Medical Center.

Smoking is bad for health and the environment, but it continues to grow among men and women with tobacco manufacturers reporting gains in their annual financial results, said Dr. Amir.

Dr. Amir also warned of the serious health problems that smoking could cause in the long run and advised smokers to kick the habit “before it is too late.”

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a presentation on “Smoking: Dependence, Mechanisms and Cessation” by Dr. Karl Fagerstrom of the Smokers Information Center, Sweden.

Over 120 doctors from public and private health care centers and hospitals attended the lecture, which was organized by Pfizer Inc. to elevate the level of public awareness on deadly and hazardous habits such as smoking.

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Man gets 30 lashes for smoking on plane 

A Sudanese man has been sentenced to 30 lashes for smoking on a domestic Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, local media reported on Monday.

The unnamed man had refused to put out his cigarette on the flight to the Red Sea port city of Jeddah

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• Bahrain takes anti-smoking message to causeway  

The Bahraini Ministry of Health has distributed over 100,000 brochures at the King Fahd Causeway detailing the harmful effects of smoking and places on the island where smoking is prohibited.

"We have seen a great response through our campaign at the causeway. Smoking has been prohibited in Bahraini malls and we now plan to extend the ban to restaurants," said Dr. Mariam Al-Jalahma, assistant undersecretary of public health and primary care at the Ministry of Health.

Al-Jalahma said that according to new regulations, restaurants are required to have smoking and no smoking areas, including separate areas for children. Under the current practice, anti-smoking brochures in Arabic and English are distributed at the King Fahd Causeway's toll counter among those entering Bahrain.

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• 30 lashes for smoking on plane  

A SUDANESE man has been sentenced to 30 lashes for smoking on a domestic Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, local media reported today.

The unnamed man had refused to put out his cigarette on the flight to the Red Sea port city of Jeddah from Qurayyat in northern Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Gazette said.

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• Smokers to pay increased health insurance premium 

Smokers in the Kingdom will have to pay an increased premium for their health insurance policies, Health Minister Hamad Al-Manie said yesterday, while spelling out a series of measures to be undertaken by his ministry to discourage smoking.

The minister has directed insurance companies to categorize between smokers and nonsmokers, and to impose an additional premium for smokers since they fall in a high-risk class.

Smoking was the main cause of 3.38 million deaths worldwide, including 13,544 in Saudi Arabia, last year. Smoking is expected to kill 500 million people by 2030, predicted a joint report issued by the World Health Organization and the World Bank in 2000.

Al-Manie said his ministry would not entertain any business transactions from tobacco companies in future.

“We have instructed the purchasing, supplies and maintenance departments in the ministry not to accept quotations for the supply of products and services from such companies,” he added. . . .

The Kingdom tops the list of tobacco importers, according to 2007 statistics. Iran is placed second, followed by Jordan, Turkey, Morocco and Egypt.

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Incentives to make workplace smoke-free 

A Riyadh-based company that specializes in business electronics has announced financial incentives for staff members who give up smoking in the workplace.

Smokers who quit during work hours are promised SR5,000 each. The incentives are being offered to protect non-smoking staff from secondary smoke.

Mohammad Al-Arifi, director of financial and administrative affairs at Al-Elm Company, said the decision was taken in the interests of both smokers and non-smokers. “Since many countries ban smoking in the workplace, we saw there was a need to take the lead in making such systems real,” Al-Arifi said.

“Thanks to the successful internal campaign launched by the company against smoking, quitting has become a target for some staff members, including some heavy smokers,” he added.

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Incentives to make workplace smoke-free 

A Riyadh-based company that specializes in business electronics has announced financial incentives for staff members who give up smoking in the workplace.

Smokers who quit during work hours are promised SR5,000 each. The incentives are being offered to protect non-smoking staff from secondary smoke.

Mohammad Al-Arifi, director of financial and administrative affairs at Al-Elm Company, said the decision was taken in the interests of both smokers and non-smokers. “Since many countries ban smoking in the workplace, we saw there was a need to take the lead in making such systems real,” Al-Arifi said.

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