Survey lays bare smoking places of 13-15 age group in Punjab

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 8

Schools are the most favourite place for smoking among students in Punjab, a global survey has revealed.

While a maximum of 24.7 per cent students, who were surveyed in the age group of 13-15 years, confessed to smoking in schools, 20.4 per cent said they smoked at social events in the state.

These were the findings of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4), a component of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS), which was a global standard for systematically monitoring youth tobacco use (smoking and smokeless), besides tracking key tobacco control indicators.

It had found that 5.7 per cent of students, including six per cent girls and 5.4 per cent boys, currently used any tobacco products while 5.3 per cent of students, comprising 5.8 per cent girls and 4.8 per cent boys, currently smoked tobacco.

While 3.6 per cent of students, including 3.9 per cent boys and 3.2 per cent girls, currently smoked cigarette, 2.9 per cent of them, comprising 3.5 per cent boys and 2.3 per cent girls, currently smoked ‘bidi’.

Another 1.4 per cent students, including 1.4 per cent girls and 1.3 per cent boys, were currently hooked to smokeless tobacco.

The GYTS-4, which was a cross-sectional nationally representative school-based survey of students in grades associated with age 13 to 15 years, a copy of which is with The Tribune, also reported that 33.7 per cent of students, who were addicted to smoking, used ‘other places’ while 17.3 per cent smoked at friend’s house and four per cent in public spaces. However, none of such students admitted to smoking at home.

The study also laid bare that of the total 21 per cent of students, including 32 per cent girls and nine per cent boys, who tried to quit smoking in the past 12 months, 56 per cent did so because their families do not like it, 26.5 per cent due to lack of money, 10.3 per cent because friends don’t like it and 7.3 per cent to improve health.

Those who tried to quit smokeless tobacco included 63.9 per cent to improve health, 22.8 per cent due to lack of money, 7.6 per cent because friends don’t like it and 5.8 per cent due to their families do not like it.

The survey also showed that 12.3 per cent students have heard of tobacco quitline, which included 17.2 per cent urban and 10.2 per cent ruralites, comprising 14.17 per cent boys and 10.15 per cent girls. Similarly, 3.1 per cent students called the tobacco quitline to help them quit smoking. These included 1.7 per cent urbanites and 3.6 per cent from the rural areas, comprising 3.4 per cent boys and 2.7 per cent of girls.

About survey

Conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the GYTS-4 assists countries in fulfilling their obligations under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to generate comparable data within and across countries. It uses a standard core questionnaire, sample design and data collection protocol.