Smoking kills about a million people every year in India. A recent study on smoking has revealed some terrible home truths about the ravages caused by this deadly habit. Read on to know more about how smoking tobacco is affecting Indians.
Effects on Tobacco on Indians
- Smoking accounts for 20 percent of male deaths and five percent of female deaths in India.
- About 61 percent of men smokers may die when they are between 30 and 69 years old. The corresponding rate for non-smokers is 41 percent.
- About 62 percent of women smokers may die when they are between 30 and 69 years old. The corresponding rate for non-smoking women is 38 percent.
- Bidi (hand-rolled small cigarettes) smokers shorten their life by approximately six years. Cigarette smokers approximately lose around 10 years of their life.
- Women who smoke bidis shorten their life duration by an average of around eight years.
- Smoking one to seven bidis daily, increases mortality chances by 25 percent. Smoking one to seven cigarettes a day, increases mortality chances by a whopping 50 percent.
- Secondhand smoke is a great health hazard for those who are non-smokers. Children are especially affected by secondhand smoke.
Illiterate Indians Most Affected
There are about 120 million smokers residing in India. Around 37 percent of men and five percent of women smoke regularly. The Indian government is focusing on efforts to inform poor and illiterate citizens about the hazards of smoking. Fifty percent of tobacco-linked deaths are among illiterate citizens. Eighty percent of these people live in rural India. The efforts of Indian health officials and the government to control tobacco use is being stymied by some politicians, who wish to protect the jobs of workers in the tobacco industry.
Tobacco Companies Focusing on Developing Nations
Societal pressure, regulation and consumer education have reduced smoking rates in industrialized nations. Therefore, tobacco companies are targeting developing countries by mounting strong marketing campaigns. Also, in the developing world, there are fewer restrictions on selling and advertising tobacco products. Eighty-four percent of tobacco users around the world live in developing countries.
