18.5% Punjab students think it's difficult to quit smoking, says survey

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9

Less than one-fourth of the students, who were hooked on smoking, found it difficult to quit the bad habit while over 75 per cent of them thought other people’s smoking was harmful to them in Punjab, a World Health Organisation (WHO)-sponsored global survey has revealed.

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4), which was conducted as part of the national survey by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, assists countries in fulfilling their obligations under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to generate comparable data within and across countries.

Survey findings

75.5% found tobacco smoking by other people harmful

46.9% favoured ban on smoking inside enclosed public places

70.9% for ban on smoking at outdoor public places

Using a standard core questionnaire, sample design and data collection protocol, it found that 18.5 per cent of students thought it was difficult to quit once someone starts smoking tobacco. These students included 19.5 per cent boys and 17.3 per cent girls, of whom 222 per cent were from urban areas and 17 per cent were ruralites.

Another 75.5 per cent of students thought that other people’s tobacco smoking was harmful to them. These included 81.3 per cent girls and 70.3 per cent boys, of whom 82.4 per cent were urbanites and 72.6 per cent were from rural areas.

The survey also showed that 46.9 per cent of students favoured a ban on smoking inside enclosed public places. These included 48.9 per cent girls and 45.1 per cent boys, of whom 57.9 per cent were from urban areas and 42.3 per cent were ruralites.

As many as 70.9 per cent of students favoured ban on smoking at outdoor public places. These included 75.2 per cent girls and 67.1 per cent boys, of whom 81.2 per cent were urbanites and 66.7 per cent were from rural areas.

The GYTS-4 further revealed that 40.3 per cent of students were taught in class about harmful effects of tobacco use during the past 12 months. These included 43.1 per cent girls and 37.8 per cent boys, of whom 42.8 per cent were ruralites and 34.5 per cent were from urban areas.

Covering the school policy on tobacco use, the study suggested that 100 per cent school heads were aware of COTPA-2003, both in rural and urban areas, but only 32.3 per cent schools, including 36.4 per cent in urban and 30 per cent in rural areas, were authorised by the state government to collect fines for violation under Section 6 of the COTPA-2003.

It also found that 96.8 per cent schools, including 100 per cent in rural and 90.9 per cent in urban areas, followed ‘tobacco-free school’ guidelines.

As many as 93.6 per cent schools were found aware of the policy for displaying ‘tobacco-free school’ board, including 100 per cent in urban and 90 per cent in rural areas.

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