Daily Lessons from Life 31 May 2014 - HPB to introduce anti-tobacco education in schools

Today is the LAST DAY of May 2014 - 5/12 of the year is gone. I am doing ok with most of my 2014 Resolutions except on the 'Healthy Lifestyle' bit! Not able to keep to the 75kg managed weight! Need to increase the efforts on this area. Let me keep at it!!

"HPB to introduce anti-tobacco education in schools - CNA 31 May 2014

SINGAPORE: A new anti-tobacco education programme will be introduced in all mainstream schools by 2017.

It is one initiative the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is rolling out, to reduce the prevalence of smoking among adults to 12 per cent by 2020.

The rate of adult smoking prevalence has stabilised, from 13.6 per cent in 2007, to 13.3 per cent in 2013, according to the National Health Surveillance Survey 2013.

There was also a significant drop in smoking prevalence among those aged 18 to 29, from 17.2 per cent in 2007, to 12.7 per cent in 2013.

Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim, parliamentary secretary for health, said: "No doubt there has been an improvement. What we need to do is more, in the sense that we want to make sure we continue this journey as we find that tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death and disability in the world."

To prevent initiation of smoking among youth, the HPB will implement a pilot "No to Tobacco" programme in 10 schools in two years.

It aims to implement it in all schools by 2017.

Schools have the option to incorporate the programme as part of their curriculum or have it during the post-examination period.

Vasuki Utravathy, deputy director of substance abuse at HPB, said: "Issues such as peer pressure, the different types of tobacco products out there, why they should say no, the harmful effects, the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle… I think the key lesson that is going to be included is opportunity for the students to role-play how they can say no to tobacco products."

By 2020, the number of smoking cessation touch points will also increase nationwide, from 150 to 600. These are retail pharmacies and healthcare institutes where smokers can receive counselling. For ex-smoker Muhammad Isbahi Diman, such support would have been helpful.

He said: "In the past there was no ‘I Quit’ (campaign), or there was no support group that assured me or assisted me. Along the way, personnel from ‘I Quit’ did constantly SMS me, call me up, then it certainly gave me a kind of assurance that someone cares about me and is supportive towards the journey."

This year, HPB aims to get 10,000 smokers to sign up for their “I Quit” campaign, a big jump from the 3,400 smokers who signed up last year.
They plan to do this by increasing the number of roadshows from 20 to 60, and running them over a longer period of time."

A topic that is dear to my heart as I was one of the 'I Quit' Ambassadors that tried to help smokers quit in 2013 over 2 weekends of volunteer duties.

Lessons for me are:

1. best to stop smoking at the start. Knowing the reasons for people taking up smoking allows the do gooders a chance to minimise the 'excuses' for the non-smokers to pick up the habit of smoking;

2. for the smokers, they have to be respected for their personal choice and reasons for wanting to smoke. Our job is to listen to their concerns and try to understand IF they want to quit, how can we help them to do so! It is my belief that I cannot persuade the smokers to quit unless THEY want to quit!;

3. many smokers want to quit BUT don't know HOW to! Some are fearful of losing their 'smoking kakis (friends)'! Some thought their health will deteriorate fast if they stop smoking as their bodies were 'addicted' to nicotine! etc, etc. When they opened up about their concerns and fears, many are unfounded based on science and statistics, and we are ABLE to supply the information to sooth away those fears and concerns, they can take the first step with a bit more confidence. Along the way, the assurance and re-assurance that they can successfully kick the habit via SMS, encouraging notes, face-to-face, smoking cessation counselling, supports of their family members and friends and workmates, etc provide great motivation to continue and persevere. It is most satisfying when we see a successful 'I Quit' smoker making it. By his or her sheer will to want to quit. And with the rest of us playing a small part in the whole process.

I wish I can re-qualified as a 'I Quit' Ambassador to get involved again!