Challenging misconceptions can save lives. Too often, outdated beliefs and misinformation prevent people from accessing safer alternatives to cigarettes. Today, Dr. Sud Patwardhan sheds light on how evidence-based strategies can help cut tobacco-related harm, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of smoking is highest.
Transcription:
00:08 - 00:29
[Joanna Junak]
Sud, you hosted the session on tobacco harm reduction and its role in achieving public health goals in low and middle income countries. So what three actions should be key goals for governments in LMICs when it comes to tobacco harm reduction?
00:30 - 02:16
[Sud Patwardhan]
So governments and even civil society organizations have a very key role, especially in low and middle income countries, when it comes to tobacco harm reduction. I would start with the M of empower. So the monitoring of tobacco use, tobacco use prevalence, the fine granular understanding of who is consuming the product, understanding what are the challenges consumers are facing in quitting these products. So research on current product use would be a good starting point. The second thing I would say is making sure that a range of cessation solutions and services are available for all the consumers in that country or in that region. and that means ensuring that all the products that are scientifically established to be a cessation product for current adult tobacco users to quit tobacco should be made available, affordable, accessible, and also appealing products have to be there, otherwise those who are trying to quit will go back to their risky tobacco habit. The third thing is for consumers, adult consumers, they rely on advisers, be it in media or even healthcare practitioners, and it's important to educate and empower healthcare practitioners in these countries to understand what is it in the tobacco product that causes cancer, that causes the harm, understand the role of nicotine, nicotine replacement, and then empower them to help their patients who are tobacco users to quit tobacco in a sustainable way. So that's the three things I would say they should focus on. And that will change the face and the nature of the tobacco epidemic in these countries in a positive way.
02:17 - 02:31
[Joanna Junak]
This year's trap line is challenging perceptions, effective communication for tobacco harm reduction. So what are the biggest barriers to communicating in tobacco harm reduction?
02:32 - 03:39
[Sud Patwardhan]
Well, the biggest barrier is the misperception that nicotine in tobacco products causes cancer, which it is scientifically known to not do so. It is the tobacco smoke in the case of combustible products. It is the presence of other toxic chemicals in the oral tobacco products that cause cancer and all the smoking and tobacco-related diseases. in itself is used as part of medically licensed products such as nicotine replacement therapy, gums and patches, and has been licensed in countries like the UK for even harm reduction purposes. So this is not known. among clinicians, among lay public, and the society in general, which means that they look at their tobacco consumption in the society as something that they cannot address with nicotine replacement, and that's where the biggest challenge is, and this misperception about nicotine leads to not many attempting to quit in a sustainable way. or those who try often end up relapsing and that's led to where we are globally with 1.3 billion people using risky forms of tobacco and that's completely unacceptable.
03:39 - 03:43
[Joanna Junak]
Why is education so important in tobacco harm reduction?
03:44 - 04:43
[Sud Patwardhan]
Well, education is crucial to address the misperceptions about nicotine. And this has to start with medical professionals, I believe, because they are the ones who often have the wrong understanding about nicotine. They're not taught about this. And so they assume that it is all the same, nicotine equals tobacco equals cigarettes, and they give a very black and white kind of advice to their patients, if at all they do. And that means that there's a missed opportunity among clinicians who see tobacco user patients to give them advice opportunistically in what's called a teachable moment. So the opportunity here is to address the misconceptions using scientific evidence and empower clinicians especially, but through the clinicians and doctors, also the society on the role of safer forms of nicotine which are regulated properly to be given to current adult tobacco users to quit their tobacco use. And that's the biggest opportunity here.