World No Tobacco Day was promoted in a few Ambuja Foundation locations to apprise beneficiaries of the ill effects of using tobacco. For decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately employed strategic, aggressive and calculated approaches to attract a new generation of tobacco users, using attractive product designs and marketing campaigns.
The health team in Darlaghat had initiated a tobacco control program with Salaam Mumbai Foundation in 2015 to focus on creating a tobacco-free workplace and surrounding communities through awareness sessions, individual counselling, and behavior modification.
During lockdown 5.0, relevant IEC messages on tobacco consumption and its adverse effects on human health were shared with 30 community health volunteers. Ambuja Foundation's volunteers addressed this initiative through telephonic conversations and online video messages, reaching 1,150 individuals across 52 WhatsApp groups.
Health volunteers conducted home visits in 30 project villages, reaching over 1,100 households. They followed social distancing norms, used masks, and sanitized hands. Sakhis in project villages involved 42 APEKSHA and 70 Swacchata Doots to organize a drawing and painting competition via WhatsApp. One-on-one sessions were also held with individuals in home quarantine who had recently returned from containment zones or cities.
In Bathinda, 135 students participated in an essay competition and 100 children took part in a poster competition across eight government schools where the APE program is implemented. WhatsApp messages were also sent to groups covering approximately 800,000 persons.
What is the relation between Tobacco and the Pandemic?
- COVID-19 affects those with weaker lungs
- Smokers are more likely to get infected and are at higher risk of severe disease and death
- Smoking impairs lung function, making it harder to fight the virus
- A young generation is getting hooked to nicotine
- Educating the youth on the ill effects of tobacco is needed
