Mizoram Govt On Women & Tobacco Addiction

Add as a preferred source on Google

Aizawl, Oct 6 (UNI) In Mizoram, education is not counter-productive to addiction, at least so among women.

Though Mizoram boasts of nearly 87 per cent female literacy, 60 per cent of the women are unaware of the ill-effects of tobacco which they cosume in various forms across the region.

The reason is all too evident here as apart from smoking, other tobacco products, a unique tabacco smoke-infused water is consumed extensively in Mizoram among the women.

This product, called as 'Tuibur', is made locally by passing smoke, generated by burning tabacco, through water until the preparation turns cognae in colour and has a pungent smell.

Besides this, Meiziol, an another local tobacco product, which comes in beedi form is also very popular among women.

''The recent figures of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) shows that more than 22 per cent Mizo women indulged in smoking against a national average of only 2.5 per cent,'' Dr Jane R Ralte, principal investigator of the State's Tobacco Cessation Centre told UNI.

''It is an alarming statistics,'' she said.

Dr Ralte also informed that the annual death rate among women who smoke in the age group of 45 to 74 years was twice as high as that of those who abstained.

Dr Ralte said apart from 'Tuibur', tobacco chewing with bettle nut, consumption of zarda and smoking bidi and dhumti were also prevalent among women in the state.

According to Dr D Baruah, additional director, hospital and medical education, Mizoram, community elders, especially in the remote areas of the state, still maintained that smoking was the best insect repellent and encouraged women to smoke.

Interestingly, an estimated of Rs 9 lakh has been spent every day by the Mizo people for buying tobacco and other related products, a latest survey conducted by the Mizoram Presbysterian Kohhran (MPK) among their community, the largest Christian denomination in the state revealed.

The findings further stated that on the whole more than 60 per cent of women in Mizoram use tabacoo during their day to day activities.

''The tobacco users will be doubled if a there is full survey conducted across the state, as the MPK is just about fifty per cent of the total state population,'' says additional health director Dr Baruah.

''I use to sell minimum 50 pack of cigrattes and 170 pack of pan per day in the city,'' 18-year old Nancy Malsaumtluangi, a peddler from Tuikval area in the capital, who goes to different offices and sells various tobacco products, said.

A latest hospital-based case-control study, headed by Dr Eric Zomawia, senior pathologist and principal investigator, population-based cancer registry in Aizawl civil hospital, was carried out to identify the influence of tabacco among women, revealed that, the risk of stomach cancer among the women was significantly elevated for the past three years due to extensive usage of tabacco in various forms.

Dr Eric Zomawia added that Mizo women has also topped the cancer list in the country.

These prevailing cancer among Mizo women is no doubt because of the extensive usage of tobacco in their daily lives, Dr Eric, senior pathologist and principal investigator, population-based cancer registry said.

''The MAAR is obtained by calculating new cancer cases detected per 1,00,000 population per year, and adjusting it against world standard population,'' he pointed out.