Primary care trust urge Tower Hamlets residents to quit smoking ahead of Ramadan

The primary care trust for Tower Hamlets is urging residents to quit tobacco ahead of next month’s Ramadan.

NHS North East London believes quitting tobacco weeks in advance of the Islamic month of fasting, starting July 19, will allow enough time for smokers to physically and mentally manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms from nicotine.

Their ‘Quit tobacco before Ramadan’ campaign focuses on chewing tobacco —also known as paan, betel quid or gutkha. Chewing tobacco puts people five times more at risk of developing mouth cancer, according to the trust.

Twenty-seven per cent of adults in Tower Hamlets use tobacco compared to 21 per cent nationally.

Tobacco use is particularly high amongst Bangladeshi men at 44 per cent, the highest smoking prevalence of any ethnic group in England, according to the trust.

Stop smoking advisors will be on hand at special pre-Ramadan events being held at Ford Square Mosque in Whitechapel on June 29 from 12.30 to 2.30pm, at Darul Ummah Mosque in Shadwell on July 10 from 12.30 to 2.30pm, and at Shoreditch Mosque on July 13 from 1-2.30pm.