Much has been written on the menace of Tobacco on World No Tobacco Day and its grave addiction prevailing in India. Notably, India is also the world's second-largest producer and consumer of tobacco. According to the NFHS 5 Survey 2021, nearly 330 million adults (15 and over) in India (24% of all adults) use tobacco. The most common type of tobacco use in India is smokeless tobacco, with popular products including khaini, gutkha, betel quid with tobacco, and zarda. Tobacco smoking methods include bidi, cigarette, and hookah. According to the findings of the NFHS (National Family Health Survey-5), at all India level, tobacco use among adult women (15 years and older) is 8.9%, while it is 38% among adult men (15 years and older). While the situation on account of Tobacco consumption is grave in most of the states falling in the eastern region of India, the Jammu Kashmir is not said to be aloof from the malady. Here 38.3 percent males of 15 years and above and 3.6 percent females of similar age group are reported consuming Tobacco in one form or the other.
The most serious part is that a substantial number of young school and college going students have already fallen into the trap of tobacco consumption. A survey conducted by Department of Community Medicine Government Medical College Srinagar revealed that around 23 percent of school going adolescents are smokers in Srinagar. As per the survey, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adolescent boys was found to be 29% ever smokers, and 23% current smokers.
“In addition, more than half (60.8%) of adolescents were exposed to tobacco smoke from others in public places. In the multivariate analysis parent smoking, peer smoking, exposure to movie with actors smoking, not being exposed to anti-smoking media messages, not discussing in the class about danger of smoking, were significantly associated with current cigarette smoking among adolescents,” the survey reads, “The prevalence rate is increasing in its spread, exposure to environmental tobacco exposure is widespread. Moreover adolescents should be enriched with knowledge on the dangers of tobacco use.” The survey said that among the surveyed schools, 29% adolescents were those who smoked at least one puff. An estimated 23% of the adolescents were current smokers, it added.
However, the Secretary Health and Medical Education, Mr. Bhupinder Kumar said the Tobacco smoking at Public places in Jammu Kashmir is on decline even as leading personalities of J&K are being roped in to help in campaigns to educate people about ill effects of tobacco smoking. He said “World No Tobacco Day” is being observed to educate people about the ill effects of tobacco consumption and how to work jointly to decline the percentage of tobacco smoking and smokeless consumption”, he said. According to him, every year this campaign is being run and laws are in place due to which tobacco smoking in the open is on decline in J&K. Such a campaign undoubtedly bears fruits and shows positive results. Our approach should not be confined to observing such topical days; rather a consistency of efforts with a holistic approach should be the central to our action plan. Tobacco continues to remain a risk factor for deadly diseases like cancer and there is a need to work jointly to fight this menace.
