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Keywords
Cancer, gutkha, pan masala, tobacco
Abstract
Background: Gutkha contains harmful and carcinogenic chemicals. The government of Karnataka banned the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of gutkha and paan masala on 31st May 2013.
Objectives: The objective of the present study was to know the impact and awareness of gutkha ban after 2 У years on self-reported gutkha users among migrant workers in Tumkur city, Karnataka.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among self-reported gutkha using migrant workers in and around Tumkur city. The migrant workers working in construction sites such as roads and buildings were interviewed.
Results: The study was conducted among 124 migrant construction workers of which 98 were male and 26 were female aged between 18 and 57 years. 16 (12.90%) of them reported to have quit the habit of chewing gutkha after the ban. These 16 people who reported to have quit the use of gutkha were using other forms of tobacco with three resorting to smoking and 13 using khaini.
Conclusion: Despite the ban persons with a habit of tobacco usage had not quit the tobacco. The call of the hour is to educate and reinforce the ill effects of gutkha among its users along with the regulatory approach. If the ban has to be effectively implemented, "chewing tobacco" must also be brought under the ambit of the Act and its sale must be regulated or banned.
Introduction
There are approximately 274,000 new cases of oral cancer every year worldwide. Oral cancer is a major public health problem in South Asian and South-East Asian countries. India accounts for one-third of the world's oral cancer burden with a high incidence of oral cancer. The majority of the cases of oral cancers are preceded by potentially malignant disorders which are most often caused by the use of tobacco in some or the other form.®
Our country is oral cancer capital of the world due to rampant tobacco chewing habit. In India, tobacco usage is responsible for 1.5 lakh cancers every year, and 2500 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases.® The deaths attributable to tobacco are expected to rise up to 13.3% by 2020.®
Although there are many attempts to create public awareness about ill effects of tobacco...