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| Making The Indoor Environment Smoke-Free |
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| Session |
Shutting out second hand smoke
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| Date |
Wednesday, 11th March
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| Author(s) |
Hemant Goswami
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Abstract Body |
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Background:
Since 1960’s people around the world have been consciously aware about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. The consensus generated through the World Health Assembly and subsequently through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, saw sea of change in the attitude of governments across the world. As a result more than half of the world has some form of law against indoor smoking, though its implementation remains challenging.
Challenges:
Making indoor environment smoke-free in a country in the developed world vis-à-vis one in the developing world poses different challenges. Though, the problem and the end-results remains the same, but the road-map is significantly different. The difference of awareness levels and sensitization about health and hygiene (in general) in the developing world is a big challenge in itself. Similarly the methodology of implementation and enforcement of smoke-free laws is also entirely different in the economically divided world.
Road Ahead:
The real challenge lies in countering the tobacco industry interference and reducing their influence over the governments. In case of developing countries, the strategies have to be very different from the advanced countries. Till now most of the successes have come from the first world and a very few successful and sustainable examples like Chandigarh (India) exists from the third-world. Experience, as gained by working on smoke-free Chandigarh has taught that going smoke-free has large public support even though there can be official apathy. From the government’s perspective, tobacco control is often perceived as a minor concern compared to challenges other issues pose in a developing economy. There are scientific ways of achieving tangible results but then it requires a different kind of learning in the new world.
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