THE TIMES OF INDIA: The Middle East, long associated with the ubiquitous waterpipe, is intensifying an anti-smoking drive as several Arab countries ban the practice in public places, even if success looks difficult.
From Beirut to Cairo, cigarettes are smoked everywhere, not just in cafes and restaurants, but in banks, ministries and even hospitals.
Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world and the heaviest smoker, announced on Thursday its intention to make the Mediterranean city of Alexandria the country's ‘first smoke-free city.’
But the health ministry did not say how it planned to achieve this goal.
An existing law that prohibits smoking in public places is frequently flouted -- notably by civil servants and police.
Nearly 40 per cent of Egyptian men smoke, the vast majority of them throughout the day, according to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January.
On top of this, at least 70 per cent of those questioned for the survey said they were subjected to passive smoking at home or in the workplace.
Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also looking to kick the habit, having all passed anti-smoking legislation in recent months.
In January, the Emirati president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, ordered a ban "on smoking in public transport and closed public places."
Within the UAE, Dubai took the lead, introducing smoking restrictions as far back as 2007. >>> AFP | Sunday, June 13, 2010
BLOG – STUFF SAUDI PEOPLE LIKE: It’s well known that when you start a habit when you’re young; it is really hard to get over it. A lot of Saudis start smoking at a young age, usually their first experiment with cigarettes will be with their peers in schools. From hiding in school’s restrooms to standing behind buildings, smoke comes out from every part of the schools. Most teenagers who smoke carry pack of cigarettes in one pocket and a bottle of cologne in the other. No matter how much you wear cologne or drink half of the bottle, in the end parents always find out that you smoke.
Every year the price of cigarettes go up, but that doesn’t matter. Saudis will put down money and finance a pack of cigarette, in order to get the nicotine in their system. It’s the illusion of the cool image that is associated with cigarette, makes Saudis want to smoke. Watch any Saudi smoke, from the way he holds the cigarette to the way he blows the smoke, as if he is in a Hollywood movie that is playing in a slow motion. Comment >>> saudislike | Monday, August 17, 2009
TIMES ONLINE: Heart attack hospital admissions have fallen since the smoking ban: The number of people admitted to hospital for heart attacks has dropped by an average of 100 a month since the introduction of the smoking ban in England, research shows. >>> Sam Lister, Health Editor | Wednesday, June 09, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Thousands of heart attacks 'prevented by the smoking ban': Thousands of heart attacks have been prevented by the smoking ban, according to the first study of its kind. >>> Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent | Wednesday, June 09, 2010
AFP: Unhealthy Scots 'living dangerously': study – LONDON — Scottish people are putting their lives at risk with an unhealthy lifestyle of heavy smoking, high alcohol intake and poor diet, health experts warned on Friday.
Scientists looked at five major risk factor to determine the general health of the Scottish population -- smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, poor diet, physical inactivity and being overweight.
They found that nearly the whole adult population (97.5%) fell into at least one of those categories, the experts wrote in the online journal BMC Public Health. >>> | Friday, June 11, 2010
