CHEWING TOBACCO IN INDIA AND BANGLADESH ACCOUNTS FOR 80 PERCENT OF TOTAL SMOKELESS TOBACCO USERS IN THE WORLD
Smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco causes serious illnesses including oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. More than 300 million people in at least 70 countries use smokeless tobacco.
The first-ever international report on the global use of smokeless tobacco and its impact on public health was released in Mumbai. The report finds that India and Bangladesh make up 80 percent of total smokeless tobacco users in the world making this a top health priority in this region. Smokeless tobacco products contain over 30 carcinogens (substances that cause cancer).
Mark Parascandola, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist with NCI’s Tobacco Control Research Branch at the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences said, “We chose to release this report in India, which faces the largest burden of any country from smokeless tobacco use and related disease. We hope that the findings and recommendations in this report will lead to expanded research efforts and the implementation of effective interventions to control smokeless tobacco use.”
In countries with the highest prevalence, the challenges include- lower prices of smokeless tobacco, warning labels are less effective, data collection and analysis is under-developed, fewer cessation programs and fewer resources for prevention and control.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in India reveals 35% adults use tobacco in any form and 26% adults use smokeless tobacco including 33% males and 18.4% females. Average age of initiation of tobacco use was 17.8 years with 26% females starting use before the age of 15 years. Among the daily users of tobacco 60% consumed tobacco within half an hour of waking up and 50% of the users had thought of giving up tobacco based on health warnings on the packages or advice of the health care worker.
Article Sources
1. Report on Global Use of Smokeless Tobacco, National Cancer Institute, USA.
2. Global Adult Tobacco Survey, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.