‘29% of students exposed to second-hand smoke’

Source: The Hindu

What is the News?

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has presided over the release of the Fourth Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4), India, 2019.

About Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4), India, 2019:

• The fourth round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4) was conducted in 2019 by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
  • The first three rounds of GYTS were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2009.
• Purpose: The survey was designed to produce national estimates of tobacco use among school-going children aged 13-15 years at the state level and Union Territory (UT) by sex, location of school (rural-urban), and management of a school (public-private). 

Key Findings of the Survey:

• Use of Tobacco: Nearly one-fifth of the students aged 13-15 used any form of tobacco product (smoking, smokeless, and any other form) in their life. However, there has been a 42% decline in tobacco use in the past decade.
• Gender wise: The use of any form of tobacco was higher among boys than girls. 
• State-wise: The current use of tobacco among students across the States/ UTs ranged from the highest in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (58% each) to the lowest in Himachal Pradesh (1.1%) and Karnataka (1.2%).
• Age of Initiation of Tobacco: 38% of cigarettes, 47% of bidi smokers and 52% of smokeless tobacco users initiated the use before their 10th birthday.
• Second-hand smoke: 29.5% of the students were exposed to second-hand smoke (11.2% at home, 21.2% inside enclosed public places, 23.4% at outdoor public places.
• Use of E-Cigarettes: The use of e-cigarette among the students was 2.8%.