Click to play videoMumbai: Till recently, the blame of promoting smoking amongst young adults was only put on the silver screen and its stars. But now, a study by a Mumbai based NGO states, the problem may actually lie at home.
The results of this study conducted by Salaam Bombay, an NGO which works with children on issues related to tobacco abuse, on nearly 6,400 students aged below 18 has revealed that whether or not children take up smoking at an early age, is also determined by parents who light up.
"They do tell us that our father or somebody at home is chewing tobacco or smoking. So if it is that bad, how are they doing it. So we realised that somewhere adults are influencing the mindsets of children. What we do as parents is what children think is right," says Senior Project Coordinator, Salaam Bombay Foundation, Devika Chaddha.
|
According to the study, parents of more than 40 per cent of the respondents consumed tobacco, in one form or another. Almost 40 per cent under the age of 18 had bought tobacco for someone else and 22 per cent of the respondents admitted to have been offered tobacco when they were buying cigarettes for parents at home.
"When a child is going to buy tobacco, the child has access. He may not be 18, but because he is buying it for his parent and it is being sold, the child has easy access. At times, children have also told us that they are receiving free tobacco samples," Devika says.
So after the smokescreen has been lifted, it might lead the Government, filmmakers and parents to believe that children could be influenced by not just reel, but real life as well.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.