Research Findings Dissemination Conference on Tobacco Control in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), Baltimore, USA jointly organized a Research Findings Dissemination Conference on Tobacco Control in Bangladesh on March 15-16, 2014 at Lakeshore Hotel, Gulshan, Dhaka.
The conference presented the findings of the 10 research projects that were funded under the Research Grant Program-2013 and also introduced this year’s 20 research grantees and their research topics.
National Professor Dr. Brig. (Rtd). Abdul Malik, Secretary General, National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh; Professor M. Omar Rahman, Vice Chancellor of the Independent University, Bangladesh; Dr. Thushara Fernando, WHO Representative to Bangladesh; and Dr. Joanna Cohen, Director, Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Baltimore, USA spoke in the inaugural program of the conference as the Guests of Honor. The inaugural program was chaired by Ms. Roxana Quader, Additional Secretary (PH and WHO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan, Director and CEO, BCCP and Mr. Steve A. Tamplin, Associate Scientist, Institute for Global Tobacco Control were also present and spoke in the inaugural session of the conference.
The 1st day of the conference introduced the twenty Research Grantees of 2014 and their research topics. The findings of the ten research projects of the previous Research Grant Program 2013 were presented through three scientific sessions on the 2nd day on March 16, 2014. Among the 10 research projects, five were undertaken by five student researchers while the rest were undertaken by five experienced researchers of different public and private universities and organizations. The topics of the student researchers were 1) Pattern and Awareness about Smokeless Tobacco in a Rural Area; 2) Trade-off between the Informal Economy of Tobacco and Tobacco Control Policy in Bangladesh; 3) Form and Effect of Indirect Advertising and Promotion of Tobacco Products in Urban and Rural Areas of Khulna Division; 4) Tobacco Use among Rickshaw Pullers of Dhaka City: Behavior, Awareness and Prevention; and 5) Smoking and Disease Complain among the Adult Student: A KAP Study in Dhaka City. The topics of the experienced researchers were 1) Secondhand Tobacco-smoke and Respiratory Problems among the Infants of Smoker and non-Smoker Parents; 2) The Health Hazards among the Tobacco Curing Workers in South Western Districts of Bangladesh; 3) The Practice and Consequences of Corporate Social Responsibility by Tobacco Companies in Bangladesh; 4) Effect of Raising Taxes on Tobacco; and 5) Prevalence of Smoking Among the Physicians of Bangladesh.
The Conference concluded on Sunday afternoon with the concluding remarks from Chair of the closing session Mr. Md. Asadul Islam, Joint Secretary and Director General, Health Economic Unit, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.