1200 quit smoking in Kashmir in last four years

Besides counseling, pharmacotherapy sessions held

Jahangeer Ganaie

Srinagar, Mar 06 (KNO): About 1200 persons quit smoking in Kashmir in the last four years, official data said.

As per the data accessed by news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 147 persons quitted smoking in 2022-23 in Kashmir, 642 in 2021-22, 212 in 2020-21 and 194 in 2019-20.

The Data said that around 6624 persons received counselling but no pharmacotherapy in 2022-23, 7815 in 2021-22, 5348 in 2020-21 and 791 in 2019-20.

It also said 2109 persons received counseling and pharmacotherapy in 2022-23, 5412 in 2021-22, 4231 in 2020-21 and 2267 in 2019-20.

Officials claim that slew of measures have been taken to decrease the percentage of tobacco consumption in the UT even as they claim that percentage has started going down due to the efforts of the National Tobacco Control Programme launched by the Government.

Notably as per GATS 2 Data 35.2% Men & 5.1% women & 20.8% of all Adults currently smoke Tobacco in J&K

6.8% Men & 1.5% women and 4.3% of all adults currently use smokeless Tobacco, 39.7% Men & 6.2 % women & 23.7% of all adults either smoke tobacco or use smokeless Tobacco.

The National Health and Family Survey-5 (NHFS-5) data reveals nearly one-third (32%) of men, but only 1 percent of women, age 15-49 use some form of tobacco.

“Tobacco products mostly used by men are cigarettes (27%), bidis (4%), hookah and cigars or pipe (2% each). Among women and men, the use of any form of tobacco is slightly higher in rural areas (1.4% for women and 35% for men) than in urban areas (0.7% for women and 24% for men),” the data adds—(KNO)