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- Title
Assessment of Gutka Ban in Maharashtra: Findings from a Focus Group Discussion.
- Authors
Dhumal, Gauri G.; Gupta, Prakash C.
- Abstract
According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India 2009- 2010, around 8.3% (13.4% among male and 2.5% among female) of people in Maharashtra are gutka users. Gutka consumption not only causes oral cancer, but has also been linked with development of oral submucous fibrosis, a precancerous lesion. Considering its harmful effects, gutka and pan masala were banned by Maharashtra Government from July 19, 2012 disallowing their sale, manufacture, distribution and storage. Though the ban has come into enforcement, the evidence stating the extent of its implementation is sparse. The objectives of the study were to learn about perception of gutka ban, impact of the ban on gutka consumption, changes in the trend of tobacco related products consumption, availability of gutka to the public on demand and economic effects of the ban on users. A Focus Group Discussion was conducted among current and ex-gutka users on January 24, 2013 at Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Navi Mumbai, India. A total of 11 male, ex-gutka users from different professions, participated in the discussion. The FGD lasted for 40 to 45 minutes. The verbal consent for participation in the FGD was taken from the respondents. The findings showed that with enforcement of the ban, 3 out of 11 respondents completely stopped consumption of gutka or any other tobacco product, whereas the rests switched to other tobacco products. All the respondents were aware about gutka ban and agreed that its a good step to reduce its consumption; however, most of them felt that the ban has not been implemented properly. According to them, the vendors still manage to sell gutka to their known regular customers. Since the ban has helped in compelling most of the users to quit gutka, it clearly implies that enforcement of ban with proper implementation is required to diminish gutka consumption among people.
- Subjects
MAHARASHTRA (India); HEALTH surveys; TOBACCO; SMOKING; PUBLIC health
- Publication
International Journal of Head & Neck Surgery, 2013, Vol 4, Issue 3, p115
- ISSN
0975-7899
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5005/jp-journals-10001-1156