Tuesday, March 06, 2007
600,000 Saudi women smoke: survey http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\03\06\story_6-3-2007_pg7_5
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Six million people in Saudi Arabia puff out 40,000 tonnes of cigarettes worth more than $1.3 billion every year and the number of Saudi women smokers, especially teenage girls, stands at a staggering 600,000, according to figures released by Dr Abdullah Al-Badah, supervisor of the anti-smoking programme at the Health Ministry, Arab News reported on Monday.
Saudi Arabia, with a population of about 27 million including expatriates, has one of the world's largest rates in cigarettes consumption. "The Kingdom is placed 23rd among the largest cigarette consuming countries. Annual per capita cigarette intake in the Kingdom is 2,130 while its total annual consumption is put at 15 billion cigarettes," Al-Badah said. Muhammad ibn Marzouk Al-Harithy, director of the Charitable Society to Enhance Public Awareness against Smoking and Drugs in the Makkah Region, estimates the annual number of deaths in the Kingdom as a result of smoking-related diseases to be 23,000. A large number of people suffer from chronic diseases, including cardiac ailments and different types of cancer every year due to smoking, he added.
"If we assume that the Kingdom's six million smokers consume at least one packet of cigarettes valued at five Saudi Riyals, the total spending is 30 million Saudi Riyals daily," he pointed out. "About eight percent of young Saudi men and women start smoking before the primary-school level; 20 percent during primary-school level; 30 percent during intermediate level; and 10 percent while they are in the first year of the secondary level," he said, citing results of a survey.
Dr Amer Radwi, consultant oncologist at Princess Noura Oncology Centre of King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah, called for a nationwide campaign to reduce the spread of smoking, especially among young men and women. "We should target students at schools and universities as the majority picks up the habit before the age of 20," he pointed out. He urged the government to enforce regulations to ban smoking in public places.
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