A recent study on smoking and death in India, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, has suddenly made headlines in the world media. The research predicts that nearly one million people a year - one in five of all male deaths and one in 20 of all female deaths between the ages of 30 and 69 - will die because of tobacco smoking by 2010.
A group of 12 doctors from India, Canada and Britain conducted the study - "A Nationally Representative Case - Control Study of Smoking and Death in India." A point to note in this finding is that 50 per cent of those who die from smoking are illiterates. The full study can be accessed here.
According to the BBC News:
The study warns that without action, the death toll from smoking will climb still further.<snip>
The figures are based on a survey of deaths among a sample of 1.1 million homes in all parts of India carried out by about 900 field workers.
Among men who died between the ages of 30 and 69, smoking caused about 38% of deaths from tuberculosis, 32% of deaths from cancer and 20% of deaths from vascular disease.
The Associated Press writes that "while an increasing number of countries prohibit smoking in public places, people in India freely puff away in playgrounds, railway stations, sidewalk cafes and even hospitals."
"A recent government effort to introduce pictorial health warnings recommended by WHO has run into legal delays, with tobacco companies fighting to keep them off cigarette packets."
Last year, India joined the list of countries that require large graphic warnings on their cigarette packets to alarm the smokers about the negative effects of smoking. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, India’s initial pictorial warnings was supposed to include pictures of an ailing baby as a reminder of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and of a diseased mouth to show the risk of oral cancer.
A small but interesting thing I noticed was that people who smoke "bidis" lose six years of their lives versus people who smoked cigarettes who lose ten.
Bidis are popular among poor Indians because they are significantly cheaper. A packet of 10 costs about 2 rupees (about 5 US cents; euro0.03) while the cheapest cigarettes cost 1 rupee (2 US cents; euro0.01) apiece.
The AP also made a point to mention that last month Indian Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss urged bollywood actors like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to stop smoking on the screen. Many families believe that the celebrities and commercials play a big role in getting the youngsters to start smoking.
India ranks second in production (behind China) and third in consumption (after China and the EU) of tobacco in the world, according to a report released in 2004 by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. India is projected to produce about 685,000 tonnes of tobacco in 2010 and consume approx. 563,000 tonnes.
India does produce several dozens of brands of cigarettes including some popular ones like Wills, India Kings, Classic, Gold Flake, Silk Cut and a number of branded "bidis". I even saw one called "Chak De filter khaini" cigarettes. What are some other famous ones?
And last month only, American tobacco giant Philip Morris, which owns a 36 per cent stake in Indian tobacco giant Godfrey Philips, was planning in manufacturing and selling its Marlboro brand cigarettes in India. I have not found any decisions made yet.
On a happier note, I found this blog that had an interesting compilation of Indian ads from 1800s to 2000.
How do you think India is handling its tobacco smoking problem? Please post your comments below.
