Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Smoking-related deaths are projected to rise to 10 million a year by 2020s, 70% of these in the poorer countries. Lung cancer, one of the few malignancies for which the main cause is definitely known and that can be prevented, is on the increase, especially in developing countries that have been targeted by tobacco companies. Tobacco smoking is the most important confounding factors contributing in the lung pathology. It is therefore essential to know the prevalence of smoking in the community of former mineworkers. Objective: To study the prevalence of smoking among former mineworkers in the former republic of Transkei, South Africa. Patients & Methods: During a two-year period (May 1997 to May 1999) 2,080 former mineworkers were examined at the Benefit Examination Clinic at Umtata General Hospital (UGH), a tertiary hospital attached to the University of Transkei in Eastern Cape Province. This study is a descriptive retrospective study. Six hundred and sixty six ex-mineworkers� smoking history was recorded on the X-ray photographs along with years of mining. All the data were collected and analyzed by Epi- 6 Info computer program. The result was displayed in figures and tables. Results: The number of smokers in the former mineworkers was very high (79%). The current smokers were thirty percent (30%) and (21%) had never smoked. The quitters were maximum in all the categories of smokers, ex-smokers (26%), smokers (17%), and non-smokers (9%) among mineworkers who had worked in the mines between 10 to 19 years. The ex-smokers, smokers and non-smokers were in proportion of about 5:3:2. The population of smokers peaked high up from 15% to 42% during their 9 or less years of mining to 10 to 19 years of mining period and again fell almost in the same speed from 42% to 22% in their next 20 or more years of mining period. Never smokers have increased from 5% to 9% in the next mining period of 10 years, and ultimately settled down at 7% when they had worked 20 years or more than 20 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking is very high (79%) among ex-mineworkers in the area of Transkei, which is twice higher than general population. Recommendation: Health education with emphasis on the bad effects of tobacco smoke is an important step to curb the widely use smoking habit among ex-mineworkers.

Biography

Banwari Meel has published about 100 articles in peer-reviewed national and international reputed journals. In 2002 he received an award of excellence for poverty alleviation and community services by the “Impumelelo Award Trust, Cape Town.” He was a finalist for the Science, Engineering and Technology Award, Pretoria in 2003. He is the recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Award (Silver) for excellence in research in 2003 and 2004. He have also received a “Humanitarian Recognition Award 2005” for his work in the community by Chest Foundation (USA), and also recipient of an award in excellence in Health Services by Health Professions Council (South Africa) in 2007.

Email: meelbanwari@yahoo.com