1 in 3 Indian adults consume Tobacco: Study

New Delhi, Oct 20: In a recent survey carried out by a public health researcher, Prabhat Jha said one in three adults in India smokes or chews tobacco and second-hand smoke remains a big problem in the country.

The survey, covering 76,000 households from across the country, has also indicated that women smokers in India light up more cigarettes daily than men who smoke, although the use of tobacco is higher in men than women.

“These findings show the enormous tobacco challenge that India faces," said Prabhat Jha.

Public health experts say around 196 million men and 77 million women are tobacco users in India in this present scenario.

They have also found that teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 years buy tobacoo from stores and 3 in 10 adults were exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke.

"Though Tobacco cultivation provides livelihood to millions of people India cannot indefinitely tolerate a public health hazard in the name of protecting livelihoods," said Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who released the GATS-India survey.

The health ministry is seeking to collaborate with the agriculture ministry to seek alternative crops for tobacco farmers.

OneIndia News