Communities
LifeFirst promotes its tobacco treatment programmes in communities, by appealing to close-knit groups of people in order to facilitate lasting impact and the formation of support groups.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009-2010) estimates that 275 million adults use tobacco – more than a third of the adult population1. While 43% of smokers report a desire to quit, the availability of tobacco treatment services across the country is woefully lacking. Less than 10% who tried to quit both smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco used counselling or other professional advice.
What does LifeFirst offer?
- Door-to-door spreading awareness on the health effects of tobacco and the benefits of quitting by field staff in areas that are populated by low and middle-income sections of society.
- Offering tobacco treatment services to users at prominent locations, such as community congregation areas.
- Engaging with NGOs and private providers in the neighbourhood, in order to maximise the programme's reach.
1Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India report,2009-2010. Mumbai: International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2010
2WHO; 2005