HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, May 9: Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Dr. Sudhakar K. launched India vs Tobacco campaign on Monday. It engages young people, parents, and institutions to work towards a tobacco-free India, by unveiling QR code-enabled billboards and posters in Bengaluru. The interactive billboards aim to generate conversations about the health risks that tobacco inflicts on our society and spread awareness of the harms of secondhand smoke. Led by the State Health department, the Government of Karnataka, and technical partner, Vital Strategies, the billboards will run till World No Tobacco Day, May 31 next.
Notably, nearly 1.2 million people, including 65000 children, die every year from conditions directly related to secondhand smoke from cigarettes or bidis. Each of the billboards illustrates secondhand smoke and is covered with tobacco smoke (from cigarettes and bidis). The billboards and posters are being deployed in and around public areas in the city to engage the public and especially young people with messages primarily on second-hand smoke exposure and its deadly health impact. The complementary social media promotion of this campaign will also include messages on the harm tobacco causes to the environment, fitting with this year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day: “Tobacco: Threat to the Environment.
Related Posts:
Dr. Sudhakar K., minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education states, “Secondhand smoke is one of the major culprits of ill health that most Indians face whether they smoke tobacco products themselves or not. This is why there needs to be more awareness and discussion on why and how we can become a smoke-free, tobacco-free society. I am sure the interactive billboards and posters will raise necessary awareness among the public, especially among our youth.”
Dr. Selvaraj, deputy director, Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka said, “Though we have seen the decline in the prevalence of smoking in the state, there is a need to strengthen and intensify the efforts, especially targeting the youth population to prevent death and diseases among this productive age group. Public education campaigns such as #IndiavsTobacco will contribute towards our commitment towards tobacco-free generation.”
