One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in Thailand, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove depiction of tobacco use in films and TV, said International Awardee (2005) of World Health Organization (WHO) – Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who is visiting Thailand to deliver keynote guest lecture at McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai.
He pointed out freely available video CDs of movies in white and grey market in Thailand, which anyone can go and buy. Moreover with satellite television channels, it is becoming further tough to control tobacco promotion and promote health policies by country-level regulations alone. Many of these movies, including Hollywood and Indian cinema, portray tobacco use with brand placement in films.
Prof Rama Kant is a noted tobacco control advocate and has been spearheading a voluntary public health initiative since more than past 30 years.
One of the major influences on the uptake of teen tobacco use is the glamourisation of tobacco use in movies and on television. This has been well documented by comprehensive research studies in India and US.
Dartmouth Medical School, National Cancer Institute USA and American Legacy Foundation report, titled "First Look Report, Trends in Top Box Office Movie Tobacco use - 1996-2004". This report has an exhaustive content analysis of top 100 box office movie hits each year for nine years duration (1996-2004). This report confirms that smoking continues to be depicted in nearly three-quarters of movies. Two studies conducted earlier by the Dartmouth Medical School found that one-third to one-half of youth smoking initiation is explained by exposure to smoking in movies.
Similar study done by World Health Organization and Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2003 revealed that 76% of Indian movies had tobacco use shown in them. In 1991, where 22% of top box office movie hits had lead characters using tobacco on-screen, in 2002, this escalated to 53% tobacco use depiction by lead characters in Indian movies. This study also demonstrated that 52.2% of children in India who had their first smoke were influenced by tobacco use depicted in movies.
A repeat follow-up study conducted by WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India on top box office movie hits during 2004-2005 demonstrated that tobacco use depiction in movies has become more aggressive as compared to previous years. During 2004-2005, 89% of all movies analyzed contained tobacco use on screen and 75.5% movies depicted leading stars using tobacco on screen. Moreover 41% of movies screened had clear and distinct tobacco brand placement. Not surprising, that 33.7% of youth respondents could recall brand use in films too.
Prof Rama Kant said categorically that stopping depiction of tobacco use in films is an evidence based public health measure.
Indian Health Minister Dr Ambumani Ramadoss had earlier said on record that "film and tobacco industry are hands-in-glove involved" and suggested big pay-offs too. Dr Ramadoss' proposal to ban tobacco use in movies and TV was vehemently opposed by film industry.
Exposure to tobacco use in movies is clearly linked to youth tobacco use. Simply put, more must be done to ensure that tobacco use in movies is removed from films seen by our nation's youth. We have within our power one simple and effective way to jump start the decline in youth tobacco use - delete tobacco use in films from the list of influences that rob our youth of longer and healthier lives by removing tobacco use from movies, unless they clearly depict the negative health effects. Together we can ensure that movies continue to entertain and inspire our children and youth, and at the same time, save countless lives from tobacco addiction and premature death.
The Asom Gana Parishad demands early steps to seal the Indo- Bangladesh border to help the state check unabated illegal immigration from across the border.
Participating at a seminar in Delhi on Saturday, AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that the Centre was responsible for failing to stop influx. He said that unless the Centre steps in to seal the border, the exodus of Bangladeshi immigrants would continue. The seminar was organised by the Delhi Chapter of All Assam Lawyers' Association.
Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has welcome the verdict of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup in regards to the sensational GS Road Molestation case, where the accused journalist has been acquitted. In a judgment, delivered on Friday, the CJM has convicted eleven out of fifteen accused. The EMFA expresses happiness that its unanimous decision in respect of Gaurav Jyoti Neog, the than reporter of News Live, was vindicated by the CJM court.It may be mentioned that the EMFA in a general meeting at Guwahati Press Club on July 16 had resolved that the visual related to July 9, 2012 GS molestation case was insufficient to convict Gaurav Jyoti. However the meeting reposed full faith on the...
The Kamrup judicial magistrate on Friday convicted Amarjyoti Kalita along with ten others in the infamous GS Road molestation case that rattled the nation in June
The court, however, acquitted journalist Gauravjyoti Neog and three others in the case where a groups of youths molested a girl on the streets in full view of the people.
An interesting study claimed to have found that climate change leads to natural disasters affect the livelihood options of people in the state. According to the study carried out by the Centre for Environment, Social and Policy Research in collaboration with the Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change, the impact of the climate change is most pronounced among marginalised women, but it has also pushed people from prosperous families into taking up work of domestic assistance and daily wage labour. The study was conducted in the six flood-affected districts of Sonitpur, Baksa and Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Morigaon.
In yet another bizarre incident, an elephant is battling with death in Goalpara district of Assam during the last 35 hours. The trunk was chopped off and the tail is missing. According to the eyewitness, the trunk is bleeding after it fell prey to the poachers. A medical team has been attending on the animal.
Few years back our parents during their childhood times they use to enjoy their childhood period by playing different outdoor games and they enjoyed very much and loved it. As a child from this gadget oriented world, whatever we do it is only gadget that helps us to do it properly and efficiently without consuming any time. But this thing which is making us totally handicapped and paralyzed to do things with our hands. During this 21st century all children from this time are totally becoming materialistic people and they are not enjoying their childhood properly only because of gadgets, they have totally become gadget prone child. In other side gadgets are helping in all sectors from...
At least eight persons sustained injury when a powerful IED exploded blast in Udalgiri district on Tuesday. The explosion took place at a 'Raas-leela' pandal at around 8 in the evening. The four injured were rushed to a local hospital where condition of two is stated to be serious. The blast took place just few metres away from Udalgiri police station and the bus stand. No militant group has so far taken responsibility for the blast.
Assam Chief Minister takes the centre of a simmering controversy when he told at a rally in Nagaon that there was not a single Bangladeshi immigrants. But later he denied saying so clearing that the context was different. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on Tuesday said that he never did say it and that he was talking only of the rally in Nagaon on Sunday.
AGP and BJP slammed Gogoi, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi of shielding the Bangladeshis for their vote bank politics. Moreover, the a foreign delegation said the matter of influx was never discussed at the diplomatic level.
Newspapers hawkers have called off the strike on Tuesday. The development came up after they struck fresh deal with the agents. For the last three days, news papers did not reach the homes of the city's readers for the third consecutive day on Sunday and Monday as hawkers continued their indefinite strike over a dispute with newspaper distributing agencies on payment.
The advertisement, issued in some local papers on November 29, had said hawkers were not making payments by claiming that customers were not paying their bills at the end of the month.
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