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Over 50% Men, 26% Women In Odisha Consume Tobacco In Any Form: NFH Survey
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Odisha, 2 Jun 2022 3:48 AM GMT
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While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021), though tobacco consumption has marginally decreased, Odisha is among the top states where a significant population still uses tobacco in any form, like smoking or chewing.
Even though the Odisha government has banned the sale and manufacture of tobacco since 2013, the latest family health survey has revealed that one in every two men and one in every four women still consume the substance in the state.
As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021), though tobacco consumption has marginally decreased, Odisha is among the top Indian states where a significant population still uses tobacco in any form, like smoking or chewing.
Rural People Consume More Tobacco
The state has around half of the men aged above 15 years, (51.6 per cent) and 26 per cent of women tobacco users against the national average of 38 per cent of men and 8.9 per cent of women. People in rural areas consume more tobacco. In villages, 54.1 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women consume tobacco compared to 40.5 per cent of men and 16.6 per cent of women in urban areas, The New Indian Express reported.
While tobacco use has decreased from 55.9 per cent in 2015-2016 to 51.6 per cent in 2019-2021 among men, it has seen a surge from 17.3 per cent in 2015-2016 to 26 per cent in 2019-21 among women. As many as 68.8 per cent of men and 31.4 pc women consumed tobacco in 2005-06.
The mean age of initiation into tobacco is 10.2 years. However, when the study was conducted, there was no data on the percentage of individuals who tried to stop smoking or using tobacco during the last one year.
Chewing Paan Masala Most Common Form Of Tobacco
The most common form of tobacco consumption among men is chewing gutkha or paan masala, followed by smoking cigarettes, using khaini, and beedis. Among men who smoke cigarettes or beedis, 47 per cent smoke five or more cigarettes or beedis each day on an average. The most common form of tobacco used among females is gutkha or paan masala, paan with tobacco, and using khaini.
With a significant portion of the population consuming tobacco, oral cancer has assumed alarming proportions in Odisha, claiming over 10,000 lives every year. Doctors have expressed concern over slack enforcement as the traders rake in the mollah throwing all caution to the wind.
The district-level committees formed to check the illegal sale and manufacture of tobacco substances failed to check the menace as there was hardly any raid on the shops. Traders continue to sell tobacco products near the premises of educational institutions even as the practice is banned in the state. In 2021, only Rs 9.7 lakh fine was collected during raids.
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