Average Monthly Expenditure on Smoking Tobacco Highest in JandK

Srinagar: The monthly expenditure on smoking tobacco in Jammu and Kashmir is substantially higher than the national monthly expenditure, as revealed by a survey conducted by Government of India. Nearly 70% of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke in Jammu and Kashmir, and the state is now emerging as the highest spending state on tobacco products. “The state’s monthly spending on smoking tobacco as far outstrips the national monthly expenditure averages. While nationally, smokers aged 15 and above spend Rs 399.20 a month on cigarettes and Rs 93.40 on bidis, those in JandK spend Rs 513.60 and Rs 134.20, respectively on these tobacco forms,” revealed Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Consequently, health hazards due to passive smoking are also more in JandK than elsewhere in the North. The survey reveals that 26.6% population of in Jammu and Kashmir is using tobacco product in one or the other of its form. Out of these users, 41.6% are males and 10.3% females. “It has come to light that the highest proportion of adults in JandK (69.7%) is exposed to tobacco smoke at home, out of which 72.1% are men and 66.9% are women. About 67.9% of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke at workplaces, out of which 70.6% are men, 61.4% are women and 35.2% of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke in public places, out of which 46.1% are men, 23% are women,” the survey reveals. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, nearly 37% children in India initiate smoking before the age of 10 and each day, 5,500 children begin the use of tobacco.
(Extracted from twocircles.net)