A WORKSHOP conducted by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation to study tobacco use among the poor was held at the Grand Plaza Parkroyal hotel in Yangon on May 10.

The Tobacco Control and Poverty Alleviation workshop was attended by nearly 50 representatives from the government health care sector and the Ministry of Industry 1.

“The consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products, as well as exposure to tobacco smoke, are the world’s leading preventable cause of death,” said the Minister of Health, Professor Kyaw Myint, at the opening ceremony.

“Apart from the vast burden of health consequences, it contributes to poverty through loss of income, loss of productivity, disease and death,” he said.

“Tobacco can worsen poverty among users and their families since tobacco users are at greater risk of falling ill and imposing additional health care costs,” said Dr Khalil Rahman, the regional coordinator of the WHO Southeast Asian Regional Office.

Dr Nyo Nyo Kyaing, the manager of Tobacco-Free Initiative Myanmar, said that several studies conducted in the country have reported a high prevalence of smoking and chewing tobacco use among lower income groups.

According to the surveys, about 50 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women in Myanmar are tobacco users, the majority of them from rural areas.

“The share of tobacco product expenditure is significant for the low income group. Money spent on tobacco deprives the family of money needed for nutrition, health and education. Tobacco poses a major challenge to the vicious cycle of poverty,” said Dr Nyo Nyo Kyaing.

The surveys have found that more than 30 per cent of spending by lower income households in Myanmar went for tobacco use.

Dr Nyo Nyo Kyaing said that spending on smokeless products – particularly betel mixed with tobacco – were nearly two times higher than smoking products.

“About 90 per cent of users surveyed were not aware of the dangers of smokeless tobacco,” she said.

Ms Anne-Marie Perucic, an economist from the WHO’s Tobacco-Free Initiative, said that raising the price of tobacco products was the most effective way to reduce consumption.

“We have found that a 10 per cent increase in price will decrease tobacco consumption by 3.6 per cent,” she said.

“All health promotion programs should include tobacco control measures,” Dr Than Htun Sein, the director of socio-medical research division under the Department of Medical Research (Lower Myanmar), told Myanmar Times.

Workshop participants recommended that targeted programs be developed to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use among the poor and to educate them on ways to give up the habit.