The “World no tobacco day” for the year 2022 was observed by three different events.
World No Tobacco Day 2022 was celebrated by the Department of Public Health Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai, with the theme “Protect the Environment,” which emphasizes the need to reduce the harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment and ecosystem. The program’s priority was to educate and motivate the public regarding preventable death and the relevance of the disease smoking causes.
As part of the event, an awareness drive was conducted for all the patients who visited the Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals on the day. Video and poster presentations regarding the ill effects of tobacco were shown to the out-patients.
Further, representative pamphlets were distributed among the vast number of bystanders, the general public, and patients gathered in front of the institution. The populace was urged to pledge and contribute against this menace called smoking. Considering the immense impact of smoking among young adults and addicts, a pivotal anti-tobacco counseling activity was carried out by the Tobacco Cessation Cell, Department of Public Health Dentistry at the De-addiction Centre, Keezhkattai, Chennai, in close cooperation with the health staff at the institute. An awareness gathering, placard distribution, health education, and mass counseling programme were also conducted in Keelachery village. The programme was very implicit, considering the high prevalence of smoking behaviour and pre-cancerous lesions and conditions noted among the subjects.
Overall, the event was a grant success, with administrative authorities and panchayaths joining hands to provide better screening and anti-tobacco drive in the near future. The department has envisaged a committed effort to helping not only the incoming patients but also to prevent and motivate anti-tobacco practices.
