Use of tobacco products among female seems to be on the rise in Bangalore. A study conducted by post-graduate students of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute have have related that as against the 3% of female using tobacco products a year ago, is now increased to 6%.
Meanwhile, yet another study conducted by another post-graduate student of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute have pointed that even at high school level, female students in city are slowing getting into the habit of tobacco use (both smoking and smokless). The study covered 3,600 high school students from city in the age group of 13-16 years and was conducted over a period of four months from July 2013 - Oct 2013. Of the total number ,218 of them were into the habit of tobacco consumption (both smoking and smokless). Of this about 0.6% of them were female students and 5.6% were male. According to the researcher the number of female students using tobacco was hardly visible about few years ago.
Even the the findings of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2010) have shown that 20.3% of females in the age group of 15 years and above consume tobacco in some form or other. The use of smokeless forms of tobacco is more prevalent (18.4%) among females than smoking forms (2.9%).
For the past five years, the De-addiction centre at NIMHANS on an average has been receiving about 50-75 cases of severe substance abuse among women requiring rehabilitation every year. Speaking to dna Dr Prathima Murthy, professor of psychiatry at the Centre for Deaddiction Medicine, NIMHANS said: "We have been getting an increasing number of women requiring rehabilitation following extreme use of substance like alcohol,tobacco, cigarettes and opioids across all age group and from different professions. Alcohol and tobacco use are common among the elderly women while among the younger group along with alcohol and tobacco products, opioids like heroine, injections and painkillers are common."
Fearing the rising numbers, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has written to all the Chief Ministers to consider adopting a 'Comprehensive Taxation Policy' for all tobacco products so that they are taxed at similar rates and any tax increase leads to an effective and 'real increase' in the price of tobacco products, making them less affordable over time and thereby reducing consumption and prevalence.
