Are Indian Children Addicted To Tobacco?

Bangalore: The number of children who use tobacco is very huge in India. As per the healthcare expert’s estimation, around five million children in India are indulged in the consumption of tobacco. This clearly indicates the easy availability of tobacco to the children and the failure of law enforcements.

Under the Tobacco Act, the sale of tobacco to children under 18 is punishable by law and there are enough laws in India to prevent this growing threat. But in just five rupees ($0.10 cents) “Gutka”, a mixture of betel nuts and tobacco is available in most corners of Indian streets in attractive packets. The children in India are addicted to ‘Gutka’ even more than to cigarettes and unfortunately the addiction begins at a very young age itself.

The Wall Street Journal reports about a recent study conducted to evaluate a tobacco control project for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The study was conducted by Harvard School of Public Health and the Healis Seksharia Institute for Public Health in India, an organization researching and conducting programs on public health.

About 1162 students were surveyed in the study and these students were between the ages of 10 and 17 enrolled in government schools. An anti-tobacco awareness program run by the Salaam Bombay Foundation, a nonprofit organization has been in the place for at least one year in these schools. A selected group of 688 students from 23 schools who were never given exposure to such tobacco awareness program were also chosen to test the efficacy of such programs.