Reverse smoking, the once widespread practice among women in the north Andhra region, is now on its way to oblivion.
Women, mostly engaged in agricultural activities, have the habit of reverse smoking the tobacco-rolled cigarette only to feel more heat than it actually generates.
The habit is more pronounced among the women during monsoon as they had to be in ankle-deep water for hours for sowing and allied activities. In such conditions, the women opt for reverse smoking in order to keep themselves warm.
The practice of sharing the cigarette among themselves once existed in Srikakulam district.
“Reverse smoking is almost on its way out in the North Andhra region. Barely 10 cases of oral cancer have been reported in the limits of our health centre in the Srikakulam Agency since 2016. All the patients are women with the habit of reverse smoking,” E.N.V. Naresh Kumar, Deputy DMHO and general surgeon at the Community Health Centre at Seetampeta in Srikakulam district, told The Hindu.
“Though the number of oral cancer cases establishes the fact that the habit is fast disappearing in the Agency area, it still exists among the elderly people,” Dr. Nagesh Kumar observed.
‘Unnoticeable’
“Reverse smoking, mostly by women from the rural areas in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, is causing hard palate cancer. The immediate symptom is a painless ulcer on the palate and it goes unnoticed by women,” said Suman Das, head of Oncology Department at the Apollo Caner Hospital in Visakhapatnam.
The young and middle-aged women are not acquiring the habit owing to awareness about the health complications.
“A decade ago, women of our district were known for the habit. However, in the recent years, we stopped gathering data on its prevalence as it has almost disappeared,” said K. Kala, Deputy DMHO (No-Communicable Diseases), Srikakulam district.
