Bidis are Bad as Far as Public Health Officials Are Concerned
Bidis are Bad as Far as Public Health Officials Are Concerned
Oct. 13, 1999 (Atlanta) -- Have you ever heard of a bidi? Chances are, you haven't -- unless you are a teenager or from Asia. Bidis (pronounced 'bee-dees') are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes that come in flavors like mango, chocolate, cherry, and vanilla. They are primarily made in India and other southeast Asian countries, but they're all the rage among American teens and young adults. A study from the CDC in Atlanta sheds some light on just how popular bidis have become in one U.S. metropolitan area.
In the report, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted a school and community-based survey of 642 teenagers from a large, urban area in the state. Respondents were in the 7th to 12th grades; 55% were female; and 36% were Hispanic, 34% were black, and 13% were white.
"The findings indicate that we have a high prevalence of bidi use among urban youth in a large metropolitan area in Massachusetts," co-author Diane Turner-Bowker, PhD, tells WebMD. "Specifically, 40% reported ever having smoked a bidi; 16% indicated that they are current users of bidis, which means they smoked at least one in the last 30 days, and approximately 8% say they are heavy users of bidis, indicating that they smoked greater than or equal to 100 bidis in their life."
"We are surprised that [the bidis smoking rate] was so high," says Turner-Bowker. "We had heard about bidis and knew it was a relatively new phenomenon. The craze sort of began in California and seems to have made its way across the country."
"This is just a pilot study, a 'feeler' for what is going on among the youth," says co-author Samira Asma, DDS, an epidemiologist at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "We received several anecdotal reports about bidis getting popular and how they were available in many stores -- including convenience stores and gas stations -- and over the Internet. The reports suggested that young people are exploring the use of bidis, so that is what prompted our attention."
Bidis are Bad as Far as Public Health Officials Are Concerned
Oct. 13, 1999 (Atlanta) -- Have you ever heard of a bidi? Chances are, you haven't -- unless you are a teenager or from Asia. Bidis (pronounced 'bee-dees') are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes that come in flavors like mango, chocolate, cherry, and vanilla. They are primarily made in India and other southeast Asian countries, but they're all the rage among American teens and young adults. A study from the CDC in Atlanta sheds some light on just how popular bidis have become in one U.S. metropolitan area.
In the report, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted a school and community-based survey of 642 teenagers from a large, urban area in the state. Respondents were in the 7th to 12th grades; 55% were female; and 36% were Hispanic, 34% were black, and 13% were white.
"The findings indicate that we have a high prevalence of bidi use among urban youth in a large metropolitan area in Massachusetts," co-author Diane Turner-Bowker, PhD, tells WebMD. "Specifically, 40% reported ever having smoked a bidi; 16% indicated that they are current users of bidis, which means they smoked at least one in the last 30 days, and approximately 8% say they are heavy users of bidis, indicating that they smoked greater than or equal to 100 bidis in their life."
"We are surprised that [the bidis smoking rate] was so high," says Turner-Bowker. "We had heard about bidis and knew it was a relatively new phenomenon. The craze sort of began in California and seems to have made its way across the country."
"This is just a pilot study, a 'feeler' for what is going on among the youth," says co-author Samira Asma, DDS, an epidemiologist at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "We received several anecdotal reports about bidis getting popular and how they were available in many stores -- including convenience stores and gas stations -- and over the Internet. The reports suggested that young people are exploring the use of bidis, so that is what prompted our attention."
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