Kerala’s Construction Sector May be Hit by Tobacco, Cautions Study

KOCHI:
The health of interstate migrant construction workers – the indispensable arm of Kerala’s dwellings and high-rises – is at risk from tobacco use, finds a new research. The first-ever study in the state to assess tobacco-induced health burden among interstate migrant construction workers showed a tobacco use among a high 90.25 per cent in this group, leading to a host of painful oral diseases.
In what could further accentuate the cancer burden in the state, a high 42.27 per cent reported pre-cancerous oral mucosal lesions in the study that covered 2,163 (1982 male and 181 female) construction workers between the ages of 14 and 55 years.
Among tobacco users, 84.74 per cent were males and 5.51 per cent females. Nearly 35 per cent used tobacco for 6 to 10 years in the study published in a recent edition of the Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice.
The Departments of Public Health Dentistry, St Gregorios Dental College near here and Kannur Dental College carried out the study in the five municipalities of Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Perumbavoor, Angamaly and Aluva of Ernakulam district. Trained interviewers used questionnaires to collect data including duration and type of tobacco use besides quit attempts.
More than half (52.3 per cent) used smokeless form of tobacco including substances such as pan masala (pan parag) that are banned in Kerala. Among smokers, 15.93 per cent used cigarette and 12.76 per cent used bidis. Well over a quarter (28.64 per cent) of the migrants covered in the study used both smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco.
Another significant factor revealed by the study is that 88.83 per cent never tried to quit tobacco use, while 58.09 per cent were not willing to quit tobacco. The study attributes migration-related stress to the high tobacco use among the migrants.
Dr Anzil KS Ali, Senior Lecturer, St Gregorios and the first author of the study said, “The inter-state migrant workers who play a major role in our construction sector are victims of occupations involving hard labour, poverty, and low literacy coupled with ignorance. Targeted behaviour change communication in migrants’ native languages is the need of the hour.”
“Our study has found that youngsters in the age group of 25-34 had a penchant for khaini chewing,” added Dr Anzil while appealing for the strict enforcement of the ban on smokeless tobacco products in the State.
As per recent figures, there are 4 million migrant labourers in the state.