Student Walk Dedicated to the World No Tobacco Day

The Student Council of the American University of Armenia (AUA) in collaboration with the students from other Universities, volunteers of the Armenian Red Cross Society, and CHSR organized a student walk dedicated to the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2010. The aim of the walk was to bring the tobacco epidemic to the attention of society and health specialists, to raise awareness about the health hazards of smoking and tobacco control legislation, and to integrate youth in efforts to curb the tobacco epidemic in Armenia. The participants of the walk met near Cascade and walked toward the Yerevan State Medical University where participants of the first conference on “Tobacco or Health” joined the event. Then the participants walked along Abovyan Street to the Republic Square where posters exclaiming “No Smoking” and “Clean Air” made from empty cigarette boxes were used as petitions to the general public not to smoke. Leaflets about tobacco control legislation, the health hazards of smoking and second hand smoke were passed out during the walk and various activities, such as “flash mob” and exchange of cigarette packs with small gifts were utilized to draw public’s attention to this urgent problem in Armenia.