Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the release of National Fact Sheet Global Youth Tobacco Survey – 4th round (GYTS-4), India, 2019.
- Objective: The survey was formed to provide awareness about tobacco and receptivity to tobacco marketing. It also includes data on tobacco use, second-hand smoke, access and availability, exposure to anti-tobacco.
- Age of Initiation of Tobacco: 38 percent of cigarette smokers, 47 percent of bidi smokers and 52 percent of smokeless tobacco users initiated the use before their age of 10.
Current use of Tobacco:
- The average current tobacco usage percent among students of India 13-15 years was about 8.5 percent
The States/Union Territory (UT) wise current Tobacco usage among students:
| Category | State | Tobacco Usage % |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | Arunachal Pradesh | 57.9% |
| Mizoram | 57.9% | |
| Lowest | Himachal Pradesh | 1.1% |
| Karnataka | 1.2% |
About the Survey:
i.GYTS survey was formed by India from 2003 (3 years once) after the enactment of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 and ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to mitigate the problems caused by tobacco.
ii.The 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 3 rounds of GYTS were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2009.
iii.It provides national estimates of tobacco use among school going children aged 13-15 years (studying in grades 8 to10) at the state level and Union Territory (UT) by sex, location of school (rural-urban), and management of school (public-private).
Key Facts of the Report:
a.Tobacco usage:
i.The prevalence of tobacco usage was at 9.6 percent among boys and at 7.4 percent among girls.
- Use of tobacco (any form) was higher among boys than girls.
ii.The prevalence of smoking and smokeless tobacco were about 7.3 percent and 4.1 percent.
iii.The use of e-cigarette among the students was being at 2.8 percent
iv.Nearly 1/5th of the students aged 13-15 years used any form of the tobacco product (smoking, smokeless, and any other form) in their life.
v.Declined Current usage: The current usage of tobacco (during last 30 days) was 8.5 percent. It was declined by 42 percent from the last two surveys.
b.Cessation: 27 percent of current users of smokeless tobacco tried to quit using it.
c.Second-hand smoke: 29.5 percent of the students were exposed to second-hand smoke.
d.School Policy: Under the survey, 85 percent of school heads were aware of COTPA, 2003 and 83 percent of schools were aware of the policy to display ‘tobacco-free school’ board.
e.Access & availability
- 69% of current cigarette smokers and 78% of current bidi smokers bought cigarettes/bidis from a store, paan shop, street vendor or vending machine.
- Among the current smokers who bought cigarette/bidi, 45% of cigarette smokers and 47% of bidi smokers were not refused because of their age.
f.Media and anti-tobacco messages
- 52% of students noticed anti-tobacco messages in the mass media.
- 18% of students noticed tobacco advertisements or promotions when visiting points of sale.
g.Knowledge & attitudes
- 71% of students thought other people’s cigarette smoking is harmful to them.
- 58% of students favoured ban on smoking inside enclosed public places
Recent Related News:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan with ‘WHO Director-General Special Award’ for his accomplishments in the area of tobacco control.
About International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS):
Establishment – 1956
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chairperson – Rajesh Bhushan
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister – Mansukh Mandaviya (Constituency – Gujarat)
Minister of State – Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency – Dindori, Maharashtra)
