NEW DELHI: The children in the national capital fall into the habit of smoking at a very young age, usually when they are 7 years old. On the other hand, children start smoking bidi at 8 years of age and consumption of smokeless tobacco is seen at an age of 11.6 years, said the Global Youth Tobacco Survey report (GYTS).
According to the report, there was not much of a difference between the age of girls and boy smoking. The median age for boys was 7.8 years while for girls it was 8. For those smoking bidi, the median age was 7.9 years for boys and 11.3 years for girls. The minimum age for boys and girls consuming smokeless tobacco was at 11.4 and 11.8 respectively.
As per the report, the children in rural areas started consuming tobacco much later as compared to urban areas. According to the report, 87.1 percent stopped consuming tobacco as they did not have enough money to buy cigarettes whereas 68.9 percent stopped as they wanted to improve their health.
GYTS, a component of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System, is a standard for systematically monitoring tobacco use among youth and keeping track on measures to control consumption. Delhi, GYTS-4 was conducted as part of a national survey by the International Institute of Population Sciences under the Union government’s health ministry.
A total of 2,928 students from across 30 private and public schools participated in the survey. Of these, 2,500 students between 13 to 15 years of age were selected for the final result. Meanwhile, over 23 per cent of children in the national capital smoke in schools and other educational institutions while, 25.7 per cent smoke at home and 27 per cent at other places. A significant 12.5 per cent of children smoke at public places as well.
“We have seen cases where young children have witnessed precancerous lesions and problems in opening their jaw fully due to tobacco use,” said a doctor working with Delhi State Cancer Institutes. According to Dr Uma Kumar, Professor & Head, Department of Rheumatology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the tobacco shops near schools and educational institutions are a major reason for addiction among children.
Median age for consuming tobacco very less: Survey
According to the report, there was not much of a difference between the age of girls and boy smoking. The median age for boys was 7.8 years while for girls it was 8. For those smoking bidi, the median age was 7.9 years for boys and 11.3 years for girls. The minimum age for boys and girls consuming smokeless tobacco was at 11.4 and 11.8 respectively.