Jump in number of Indian women who smoke

Risingbd Desk: The government`s anti-tobacco campaign over the last decade has failed to have desired impact. While smoking and tobacco chewing remains high among men, latest data shows significant increase in use of these harmful products among Indian women.

In 2005-06, 11 percent women used tobacco in some form. But according to data collated in Global Adults Tobacco Survey for 2009, the latest available figure, tobacco consumption has gone up to 20 percent which doctors term an alarming increase.

Dr Sonali Jhanjee, who heads the Tobacco Cessation Clinic at National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre run by AIIMS, said incidence of tobacco-related deaths and co-morbidities in women has gone up, too.

"When we joined the profession, it was rare to find women suffering from lung cancer. Heart attacks were uncommon, too. But now more such cases are being reported and clinical findings reveal strong link between the diseases and tobacco consumption," Dr Sudhir Khandelwal, professor and head of NDDTC, said.

In Delhi, lung cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women. Doctors say if urgent steps were not taken to limit tobacco usage the cases will continue to increase.

Dr Khandelwal said the age of initiation of tobacco use has fallen, too—a disturbing trend. Earlier age of initiation may lead to higher chances of women getting addicted to tobacco and greater health damage in the long term.

According to Dr Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, respiratory and critical care at Apollo Hospitals, many young women connect smoking to empowerment and equality. "Earlier, most conversations took place over a cup of coffee while now very often they take place over a smoke. The portrayal of young and successful women in films and TV plays a role," he said.

Tobacco use in women is associated with reproductive health issues apart from illnesses such as lung cancer, heart diseases and respiratory problems. Experts say smoking during pregnancy accounts for 20-30% low-birth weight babies, up to 14% of preterm deliveries and about 10% of all infant deaths.

Dr Prabhat Singh Malik, who works at B R Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, said increasing the size of the pictorial warning can help discourage smoking among youth. He also stressed on the need to discourage use of e-cigarettes and hookahs that are fast becoming a rage among teenagers.

Source: Times of India

risingbd/May 29, 2015/Mukul