Tobacco consumption in India falls due to stringent laws

Owing to implementation of stringent laws by the government on sale and manufacture of tobacco products, consumption of tobacco by both men and women has declined, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) released earlier this week revealed.

According to the NFHS 4, the prevalence of tobacco use in India among men has come down to 44.8 per cent in 2015-16 from 57 per cent in 2005 - 06 and among women it has come down to 6.8 per cent from 10.8 per cent. NFHS-4, for the first time, provides district-level estimates for many important indicators.

Interestingly, in Delhi, the prevalence of tobacco use among men has come down to 30.4 per cent in 2015-16 from 40.0 per cent in 2005 - 06 and among women it has come down to 1.8 per cent from 3.1 per cent. In Maharashtra, the prevalence of tobacco use among men has come down to 36.5 per cent in 2015-16 from 48.3 per cent in 2005 - 06 and among women it has come down to 5.8 per cent from 10.5 per cent.

“The NFHS 4 results offer some hope. I attribute this reduction to mainly to gutka ban and partly to increased awareness,” said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Oncologist, Tata Memorial Hospital. The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4), the fourth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health and nutrition for India and each State and Union territory.

“The reduction in consumption is due to the tobacco control laws that the Government is implementing over the years and steps taken like 85 percent graphic health warnings, Smoke Free Rules and Gutka Ban,” Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, Chief Executive Voluntary Health Association of India, said.

However, the anti tobacco lobby has been urging the government that all tobacco products especially bidis, are placed in the demerit good category at the 28 per cent GST rate with an additional levy of the highest possible rate of cess.

“The government needs to implement evidence based tobacco control policies to reduce further tobacco consumption as 10 lakh people die due to tobacco use every year. There is also an urgent need for higher tobacco taxes, as taxes in India are very low particularly the beedis and hope in the new GST regime, this will be addressed,” Mukhopadhyay said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it estimated that the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in the year 2011 amounted to a staggering Rs 1, 04,500 crores — 12 per cent more than the combined state and central government expenditure on health care in the same year. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) shared the highest burden (Rs 3,600 crore) of direct medical and indirect morbidity costs on account of tobacco use, followed by respiratory diseases (Rs 2,800 crore), tuberculosis (Rs 2,300 crore) and cancers (Rs1, 400 crore).

Tobacco related diseases kills about 2500 Indians daily. It is estimated that about 5500 youth and children (as young as 8 years old), initiate tobacco use daily. Currently, India has 12 crore tobacco users, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.