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Presenter(s)
Dr Kamran Siddiqi Clinical Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Health Sciences, University of York
Abstract
Smokeless tobacco is a product containing tobacco, placed in the mouth or nose but not burned at the time of use. Smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine and carcinogenic nitrosamines. In addition to cardiovascular diseases, smokeless tobacco use leads to oral and oesophageal cancers. In women, its use is associated with reduced gestational age, low-birth weight and stillbirth and a low bone-mineral density.
Smokeless tobacco consumption poses a global public health threat affecting an estimated 300 million people spread over 90 countries. However, its use is particularly common in South and South-East Asia. A quarter of adults in India and Bangladesh and a fifth in Pakistan use smokeless tobacco. Also popular in the South Asian diaspora; one in five Bangladeshi women in the UK is a regular user. Its use is embedded within South Asian culture, and only a minority of South Asians are aware of its direct association with oral cancer. Smokeless tobacco is widely accessible in the UK and its use contributes to the health gap between South Asians and general population.
The existing tobacco control policies and services are either inadequate or poorly implemented. A concerted effort is required to advocate for effective policy and address knowledge gaps.
