Five Northeastern states record high tobacco consumption among school children in India

GUWAHATI: Five northeastern states have recorded high tobacco consumption among school children in the country according to a survey carried out by the Union Health Ministry.

Overall, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh (57.9) jointly topped the list in the country followed by Nagaland (42.6), Meghalaya (33.6) and Sikkim (24.8) according to the survey.

Three states of Manipur (19.5), Assam (11.9), and Tripura (7.6) showed comparatively less consumption of tobacco.

Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, recently released the data of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4) which was conducted in 2019 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) along with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS).

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The survey aimed to estimate a national usage of tobacco among the school going children between the age group of 13-15.

Commenting on the data, the health Minister said, “The more and the sooner, we create awareness among children about harms due to tobacco use, the better will be the outcomes in terms of reduction in prevalence of tobacco use among children and consequently among adults".

"Harmful effects of tobacco use' should be incorporated in school curricula at various levels starting right from the primary school level", he added.

He also emphasized the role of teachers as extremely vital in creating awareness among children and their parents about the harmful consequences of tobacco consumption.

While Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh recorded highest consumption, the current use was lowest in Himachal Pradesh (1.1%) and Karnataka (1.2%).

As per the data provided by the Ministry, a total of 97,302 students from 987 schools took part in survey. Out of these 544 were rom Public school while the rest 443 were from private schools.

The first three rounds of the survey were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2009.

The objective of the survey was to provide information on tobacco use, cessation, second-hand smoke, access and availability, exposure to anti-tobacco information, awareness and receptivity to tobacco marketing, knowledge, and attitudes.

Some key findings of the survey on tobacco consumption in India

The survey revealed that nearly one-fifth of the students aged 13-15 used any form of the tobacco product (smoking, smokeless, and any other form) in their life. Between the last two surveys, the current use declined by 42% (2009-2019). The tobacco use was found more among boys than girls.

The survey found that about 38% of cigarette, 47% of bidi smokers and 52% of smokeless tobacco users started consuming it before reaching the age of 10 years.

Two in 10 current smokers have tried to quit smoking in the past one year, the survey revealed.

27%of current users of smokeless tobacco tried to quit using in past 12 months and another 25% wanted to quit now.

69% of current cigarette smokers and 78% of current bidi smokers bought cigarettes/bidis from a store, paan shop, street vendor or vending machine. Among the current smokers who bought cigarette/bidi, 45% of cigarette smokers and 47% of bidi smokers were not refused because of their age.

Nearly 52% of the students have admitted to have noticed anti-tobacco messages in Mass media while 18% students noticed tobacco advertisements or promotions when visiting points of sale.

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