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ASH Daily News for 21 December 2007

Tobacco and poverty drive cancer in developing world

Experts have predicted that rising tobacco use will fuel cancer across the developing world, more than doubling the number of new cases to 27 million by 2050.

Dr Nancy Davidson of John Hopkins University in Baltimore said, "Cancer is already the second leading cause of death globally, after heart disease and ahead of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases accounting for 10 per cent of deaths."

She cited the report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which estimates that 7.6 million people will die of cancer this year, 5 million of them in developing countries.

The statistics contradict a perception that cancer is a disease of rich nations. Cancer deaths have fallen in the United States, dropping by more than 2 percent between 2002 and 2004.

"There will be 12 million new cancer cases diagnosed worldwide in 2007. By 2050, this number will more than double to 27 million, even if the rates don't change," Dr. Lynn Ries of the U.S. National Cancer Institute said in a telephone briefing.

Deirdre Lawrence of the National Cancer Institute said, "Cancer is caused by a mix of factors, including genes, diet, lack of exercise but the leading cause is smoking. And more people are using tobacco."

She added, "The World Health Organization currently estimates that the annual number of tobacco related deaths worldwide is projected to rise from 4.9 million in 2000 to more than 10 million by 2020, unless effective interventions take hold."

She said,  "70 per cent of the deaths would be in the developing world. In 1970, 3.26 million cigarettes were smoked globally. In 2000, it was 5.7 million."

Dr Tony Mok of the Chinese University of Hong said, "The problem is notably clear in China. China produced 39 percent of the world's tobacco products with 6 per cent of this exported, meaning that 33 per cent of world tobacco production is consumed in China." .  

Mok added, "Cancer prevention has not been a top priority in our country. 320 million people were smokers in China in 2004, a 4 percent increase from 2003."

Source: Reuters Health, 20 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2mxft9

British forces clinic wins national award for No Smoking Day

The British Forces Clinic, Allied Joint Forces Command Headquarters Naples, in Italy has won a national award for organising an event for No Smoking Day 2007. Lt Cdr Lorraine England QARNNS representing the British Forces team won three prestigious awards for newcomer of the year, best community activity and best Armed Forces activity by designing a children's and young persons workbook for classroom use and co-ordinating the delivery of a number of stop smoking activities within the local British Forces community.

Lt Cdr Lorraine England QARNNS who works as the Senior Nursing Officer and stop smoking co-ordinator within the British Forces Clinic said: "We are very pleased to win an award for our 2007 No Smoking Day activities as it recognises the strength of collaboration and partnership between the military medical services, service education agencies, SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association), HIVE (Help, Information, Volunteer, Exchange) and the No Smoking Day campaign team in delivering effective education about the risks associated with smoking."

Dan Tickle, Chief Executive of the charity No Smoking Day said: "Thanks to the passionate support of our local organisers, No Smoking Day has remained the UK's leading public health event for a quarter of a century. For their dedication and commitment, as well as their willingness to spend Wednesdays in March dressed as a giant cigarette, we're indebted to each and every one."

Next year's No Smoking Day will be on Wednesday 12 March 2008.

Source: Medical News, 20 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/32z8we

Domestic violence identified as stressor associated with smoking

Using a large population survey in India, a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found an association between domestic violence and adult smoking.

Smoking and chewing tobacco contributes to the 800,000 tobacco related deaths in India every year. Smoking prevalence is estimated to be 29% for men and 3% for women. The use of chewing tobacco is 29% for men and 12% for women.

One of the stressors, or risk factors, is domestic violence, with some 40% of Indian women reporting being slapped, kicked, hit or beaten during their marriages. Smaller studies in the U.S. have also found an association between domestic violence and smoking. Researchers hypothesize that smoking may act as a "stress reliever" in households that experience domestic violence. In fact, Indians who smoke or chew tobacco cite stress relief as one of the reasons they begin using and continue to use tobacco.

To see if there was a link between domestic violence and tobacco use in India, lead author, Leland Ackerson, a research fellow, and senior author S. V. Subramanian, associate professor, used data from the National Family Health Survey, a representative cross sectional survey administered in India during 1998 -1999. The samples included 89,092 women and 278,977 family members aged 15 and older.

The researchers found that, for women who had ever been married, 19% reported incidents of abuse; 85% of abused women reported abuse by their husbands. The study found that women who reported past and current abuse had a 20%-40% increased use of tobacco products, compared with women reporting no abuse, even after controlling for factors such as income and education level. Another finding was that smoking risk increased for any adult in households where domestic violence was prevalent, regardless of whether they were a victim, a perpetrator or neither. 

The study highlights yet another negative outcome of the social problem of domestic violence. "This research is important in terms of both tobacco control and the campaign against domestic violence," added Subramanian. "It reinforces the notion that addressing the psychological and social context is key in the fight against tobacco. Additionally, our findings provide further proof of the negative effects of domestic violence, evidence which will hopefully aid those working to address this problem."

Source: Science Daily, 20 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2lmws4