Glorian Sorensen takes a global view of tobacco use
By Debra Ruder
Glorian Sorensen, PhD
Every year in India, some 800,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses — roughly the population of San Francisco. The South Asian country has adopted strict anti-tobacco laws and goals, and it signed an international tobacco control treaty that took effect this winter. But enforcing such restrictions is a challenge in a country where roughly 65 percent of men use some form of tobacco, and where many believe chewing this substance is healthy for gums and teeth.
Dana-Farber's Glorian Sorensen, PhD, has long been interested in promoting healthy behaviors, especially in low-income populations. This is why she spent five months in India last year, conducting research on tobacco consumption among educators, youths, and workers. Her investigation, funded through a prestigious Fulbright Award, was carried out through statistical analyses of existing tobacco-use data, as well as a dozen focus groups in schools.
To date, Sorensen's pursuits have led to three papers, ongoing collaborations with Indian colleagues, and an eye-opening look at tobacco use as a global issue.
"It was helpful to expand my mind about how we address cancer in the United States and abroad," says Sorensen, director of DFCI's Center for Community-Based Research and of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center's Risk Reduction Program. "In addition, one of my goals was to learn how occupational health and safety works — or doesn't work — in India. The country has several large, well-established cancer centers, and they're clearly doing cancer prevention and control work. The problem is just on an enormous scale, because India is so densely populated, and there is such widespread tobacco use and poverty."
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