HMC holds workshop for school psychologists, social workers

The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Tobacco Control Centre has organised a workshop on how to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use and smoking among school students in Qatar.
The workshop – part of efforts to prevent tobacco smoking in educational institutions and in the community in general – was dedicated to psychological counsellors, social workers, and nursing staff from preparatory and secondary public schools across the country.
It was held in the presence of World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Qatar Dr Rayana Bou Haka, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) Public Health Department director Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, MoPH Non-communicable Diseases Department head Dr Kholoud al-Mutawa, and Fatima al-Obaidli, head of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Activities and Programmes Department.
HMC Tobacco Control Centre head Dr Ahmad al-Mulla said that the workshop was aimed at providing participants with the information and skills to effectively contribute to combating smoking and tobacco use in schools in Qatar and to help students who smoke to quit.
The latest studies showed that for many, the age for starting smoking ranged from 12-15 years.
The workshop included lectures on topics such as the types of tobacco use and its prevalence in Qatar, the health effects of cigarette smoking and the use of tobacco products, the physiology of tobacco addiction, and the role of schools in preventing and limiting the spread of the smoking habit.
The workshop also offered the opportunity to dispel misconceptions about smoking and tobacco use, and raise awareness among participants on how to deal with students who smoke and the factors leading to smoking among students.
The lectures were delivered by members of the Tobacco Control Centre team, including Dr al-Mulla, healthcare services administrator Noor El Nakib, HMC smoking cessation specialists Dr Ahmad Abdullah and Dr Jamal Ba Suhai, and clinical psychologist Dr Ashour Ibrahim from the Tobacco Control Centre.
Dr al-Mulla stressed the importance of protecting the present and future generations from the dangers of all kinds and forms of tobacco use.
He urged a special focus on protecting young people from being influenced by tobacco companies that keep targeting the youth as an emerging and vulnerable market for their products.