Mizoram & Arunachal Pradesh have the highest rates of tobacco use among the 12-16 age group
Mizoram, along with Arunachal Pradesh, has the highest tobacco use in the country among students aged 13 to 15, the official said.
Addressing a one-day seminar on the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) -4 and tobacco-free educational institutions for the media here, Lalremruata, a national consultant to the National Tobacco Control Program, said Monday that at least 58 percent of students in Mizoram. in the age group from 13 to 15 years, tobacco is used against an average of 8.5 percent in the country.
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Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have taken first place in tobacco use among this age group, the official said, citing a 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) report.
Lalremruata said that 44 percent of students in the state currently use smoked tobacco and 33 percent use smokeless tobacco. He said 35 percent smoke cigarettes and 4.6 percent smoke twice. He added that the main reason for the high level of tobacco use among students is the influence of peers.
According to Lalremruat, the GYTS was conducted in Mizoram in 2019 as part of a National Survey conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
A total of 1,404 students from 21 schools, including 11 private schools, took part in the survey, he said.
He said 95 percent of state school principals were aware of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
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