Indian Youth Moving Away From Tobacco, Smoking Habit Highest Among Older Adults: Study
New Delhi: A new study has found significant divide in tobacco consumption between younger and older adults in India. The report found that many more middle-aged men smoke tobacco than young men. The study by the National Family Health Survey 2019-21 revealed that one in four Indians over the age of 15 reported smoking or using some form of tobacco as of 2021.
Notably, while over one in three elderly Indian typically in their 40s and 50s consume tobacco, the smoking habit among the Indian youths, especially people in their 20s is just half share compared to the older generation.
Read Also: Centre Issues Notice To Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar And Ajay Devgn For Endorsing Tobacco
The report published by Data For India, pointed out that more than half of men in their 30s and 40s use tobacco, while only about 1 in 4 men in their 20s use it, suggesting that tobacco use is double in older men compared to young men.
The consumption of Tobacco is much less common among women, with just 4% of women consume tobacco in some form, the report noted, highlighting that the prevalence, however, increases among women with age. Women aged 50 and above have 17% tobacco users.
The report clarified that tobacco is consumed in many forms, the most common being paan masala or gutkha, followed by cigarettes, khaini and bidis. Irrespective of the forms through which tobacco is consumed, it poses serious health consequences and is a major risk factor for serious non-communicable diseases. Deadly diseases such as cancers, heart disease and respiratory illnesses are often interlinked with the use of tobacco in some form, the report added.
