By KNO
Srinagar- Approximately 32 percent of men and one percent of women in Jammu and Kashmir consume tobacco, with cigarettes being the predominant product, according to the National Family Health Survey (NHFS-5).
Official data obtained indicates that only 1 percent of women aged 15-49 use some form of tobacco. Among men, the most commonly used tobacco products are cigarettes (27%), bidis (4%), hookah, and cigars or pipes (2% each).
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). Over one-third (35%) of men who smoke cigarettes reported smoking 5 to 9 cigarettes in the past 24 hours.
The data further reveals that around 0.2 percent of women in urban areas and 0.5 percent in rural areas use cigarettes, while 21.1 percent of men in urban areas and 28.7 percent in rural areas smoke cigarettes. It added that 0.1 percent of women and 4 percent of men smoke bidis, 0.1 percent of women and 2.2 percent of men smoke cigars or pipes, and 0.7 percent of women and 2.4 percent of men smoke hookah.
Cigarette consumption patterns show that 27 percent of smokers use 5 or fewer cigarettes per day, 34.7 percent use 5-9 cigarettes, 29.9 percent use 10-14 cigarettes, 6 percent use 15-24 cigarettes, and 0.3 percent use 25 or more cigarettes in 24 hours.
This story was originally published in kashmirobserver.net. Read the full story here.
