The World No Buai Day falls on the 6th of October and in an effort to conduct awareness surrounding beletnut consumption, Businesses for Health (B4H) is joining forces with the PNG Cancer Foundation to encourage people who want to end their chewing habit to sign up for their World No Buai Day Campaign.
The mission of B4H is to end TB, and chewing has a negative effect on so many aspects of a person’s health and well-being. This year we want people to think beyond maintaining beautiful teeth and spreading infectious diseases. We want people to consider buai and facial cancers.
The campaign was launched on the 4th of August and is set to run over eight weeks, to get the workers of PNG to consider the career, health and financial costs of chewing buai.
B4H Campaign leader and participant TB HEO Teresa said, “the sooner people reduce their chewing, the better it is for their health. We also recognise that chewing is an addiction and it’s not something they can successfully achieve without talking to family, friends, and colleagues. Addicts need encouragement or friends to join them in the campaign.”
“My parents were health workers; I grew up knowing chewing was unhealthy and unacceptable at work. I know chewing is associated with diseases like TB. I also knew I was addicted. COVID measures and so many new TB cases put us all under so much strain.”
“When I was wearing a mask 24/7 it was easy for me to sneak in some extra chewing without my colleagues knowing,” HEO Teresa shared.
As a reformed chewing addict, I am proud to be the face of the No Buai Campaign. Last year making October 6 my quit date was easier than starting on January 1 when we are all holidays,” said HEO Teresa.
HEO Teresa added that, at Businesses for Health I train people in early case finding for Tuberculosis and support people to kind to people terrified by a diagnosis of TB or HIV. In supporting people with TB or HIV we use care, kindness, and support to help people to achieve better treatment compliance, and it reduces fear.
We recommending people wanting to quit chewing use the same strategies.”
Ms Kimberly Kapigeno, current Executive Manager of the PNG Cancer Foundation said, “this year, under the banner of the Daffodil ‘Hope for a Healthier PNG” campaign, the PNG Cancer Foundation is supporting the Businesses4Health’s No Buai Campaign. The initiative is in line with the key message of making healthy lifestyle choices to reduce your cancer risk.”
