From rxpgnews.com
Dental association launches campaign against tobacco use
By IANS,
Jun 5, 2009 - 7:50:44 PM
New Delhi, June 5 - To create a tobacco free India, the Indian Dental Association - will be launching 5,000 Intervention Centres across India in the next two years to screen people and create awareness about the health hazards of tobacco use.
The first phase of the launch kicked off early this week in Maharashtra where 56 Tobacco Intervention Initiative Centres - were set up across the state.
In Maharashtra, IDA had set up more than 20 one-day information and counselling booths in locations like railway stations, hospitals, malls and airports. Doctors screened patients at these centres all day and distributed information booklets to create awareness and appealed to users to quit tobacco.
'IDA has also been campaigning for a ban on tobacco use since its inception because tobacco affects oral health in several ways, including causing cancer of the lips and tongue,' said an official statement.
Lt Gen - Paramjit Singh, president of IDA, said: 'The focus of IDA's campaign against the use of tobacco in all its forms is to secure for the people their right to health and healthy living.'
'This year WHO's campaign focuses on 'tobacco health warnings' in the hope that visual warnings will help people quit. Effective health warnings, especially those that include pictures, have been proven to motivate users to quit and to reduce the appeal of tobacco for those not yet addicted,' the statement said.
Secretary General IDA Ashok Dhoble said, 'This is a landmark initiative from IDA and we hope to reach out to as many people as possible. Maharashtra is just the beginning. We plan to take TIICs across India soon. Sustained campaigns by IDA over the years have contributed to the government banning smoking in all public places since Oct 2, 2008. We hope this initiative will yield greater results.'
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