ANTI- TOBACCO CAMPAIGN TARGETS ASIANS
(14th February 2002)

Government research shows that South Asians are not averse to under-reporting their smoking and tobacco use. A worrying trend given that the Department of Health today announced early results of its smoking cessation services monitoring.

Set up in all Health Authorities in England two years ago, the monitoring showed that around 104,800 people had set a quit smoking date with around about 53,500 successfully quitting within 4 weeks. The majority of peole received Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) or bupropion (Zyban).

Despite the fact that only a small percentage(1.3%) of those monitored were from the Asian community, the NHS is keen to to reduce the high level of smoking and chewing tobacco in Asian communities and to make Asian people more aware of the serious health risks from tobacco use. Government research has shown that the South Asian population in the UK suffer from angina, stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure at higher levels than in the general population. The greater incidence of Oral Cancer, particularly in South Asian women can also be directly linked to the chewing of tobacco-filled Paan.

A major campaign has been launched by the NHS

In August last year, former Health Minister Hazel Blears announced a £750,000 drive TV advertising drive aimed at helping Asian communities give up smoking and chewing tobacco.

A specialist Asian language phoneline - the NHS Asian Tobacco Helpline - was set-up to provide a dedicated, confidential and free advice service on tobacco use, offering tips on how to give up and information on obtaining Nicotine Replacement Therapy and contacting local smoking cessation services.

High rates of smoking are a particular problem with Bangladeshi men, 44 per cent of whom smoke cigarettes compared to 27 per cent of men in the general population. For Pakistanis the figure is 26 per cent and 23 per cent for Indians. Actual prevalence rates may be higher as South Asians tend to under-report their tobacco use to a much greater extent than the general population.

Chewing tobacco is a big issue amongst the South Asian population, especially Bangladeshi women. Tobacco paste is added to paan - a leaf containing nuts and lime paste - and then chewed, providing a major risk factor for oral cancer.

Smoking is a dangerous risk factor for a number of health conditions that South Asian people suffer from at higher levels than the general population, such as angina, stroke, heart attack and high blood pressure. Yet knowledge of this link is very poor across all South Asian groups.

Hazel Blears said," For some Asian communities the message about the health risks from tobacco is not getting through. That is why we are launching this important public health campaign to help those people who want to give up to do so. Smoking causes 120,000 deaths each year in the UK and is the greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK.

The Health Risks

Research by the Health Education Authority in year 2000 showed that the knowledge of the main diseases associated with smoking is very poor across all three South Asian groups. Only a quarter of Indians (23%), Pakistanis (27%) and Bangladeshis (27%) associate smoking with heart disease. Some 52% of Indians, 47% of Pakistanis and 41% of Bangladeshis identify a link between smoking and lung cancer. Very few people associate smoking with respiratory diseases other than lung cancer (Indians 11%, Pakistanis 15% and Bangladeshis 12%).

Smoking is a major risk factor for a number of health conditions that South Asians suffer from disproportionately. Compared to the general population, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are three to four times more likely, and Indians twice as likely, to describe their own health as bad or very bad. The rates of cardiovascular diseases (angina, heart attack, stroke, heart murmur, diabetes, high blood pressure) are 60-70% higher amongst Pakistani and Bangladeshi men than amongst men in the general population. Rates for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are 40% higher than for women in general.

The rates of ischaemic heart disease (heart attack and angina) are 30% higher amongst South Asian men than amongst men in the general population.

Death rates from coronary heart disease are 38% higher amongst South Asian men than amongst men in the general population. In South Asian women, the excess is 43%.

Government Action on Smoking

The Government is tackling smoking via a combination of a ban on advertising, investment in NHS services to help people quit and advertising the health benefits of not smoking.

Click here to read the Department of Health's statistics on smoking for the South Asian Community.

Click here to visit the Department of Health website.

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