Health gurus targeting younger betel nut chewers

The Department of Health (DOH) is set to launch an anti-betel nut chewing campaign on campuses across the nation to combat the growing numbers of young people now chewing betel nut.

A matter triggering much concern are statistics from the department, which show that incidences of mouth cancer have increased by 30 percent in the last 5 years, with males between 25-44 being the most affected.

Trend

More alarmingly, in recent years in Taiwan, there is a trend towards betel nut chewers becoming both younger and stretching across a wider assortment of professions.

When asked about some reasons for the trend, section head of the Bureau of Health Promotion (BHP) Wu Chien-yuan (吳建遠) said, "The threshold for getting betel nuts is very low, people can now get them all year round, and they are cheap."

"Also, in many areas, especially in the south, young children are very often in close proximity to the betel-nut chewing culture," he added.

To discourage the betel-nut chewing culture in Taiwan, the BHP is holding a nationwide, "Quit betel nut chewing, you know you're right!" marathon, with registration starting yesterday and lasting until Nov. 20.

The BHP will in the meantime start betel-nut chewing prevention campaigns in schools, the military, in the community and in hospitals.

According to the BHP, the relationship between mouth cancer and betel-nut chewing has long been proven and in Taiwan 90 percent of those who develop mouth cancer also have a history of chewing betel nut.

"The International Agency for Research on Cancer has shown that even betel nut pieces, which don't have all the additives, are carcinogenic," Wu said.