CHENNAI: Targeting school children and college students is one of the strategies of the tobacco industry to compensate for the number of people who quit smoking through de-addiction centres, said Dr K Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health, on Wednesday.
Speaking at an event organised by the Tamil Nadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control, an NGO working for tobacco control, and Mary Anne Charity Trust, Kolandaswamy said, “Suppose 100 people quit smoking through de-addiction centres or so, the tobacco industry would target school children and college students, four or five times the number of people who quit, this is the cunning strategy of the industry.”
“Awareness should be spread among youth and students about the ill effects of tobacco use. Along with the School Education department, the health department should conduct awareness in schools on ‘Children Against Tobacco theme,” Kolandaswamy added.
Listing the ill effects of smoking, Kolandaswamy said it will decrease lung capacity, increase the chances of infertility among women and men, and also tuberculosis and other respiratory problems.