Latest news with #GlobalYouthTobaccoSurvey
United News of India
30-05-2025
- Health
- United News of India
Tobacco consumption claims over 78,000 lives annually in Rajasthan
Jaipur, May 30 (UNI) Tobacco consumption claims the lives of approximately 8 million people worldwide each year, with India accounting for over 13.5 lakh deaths and Rajasthan witnessing over 78,000 fatalities annually. Moreover, more than 5,500 children in the country and over 350 in the state start consuming tobacco and other smoking products daily. Pawan Singhal, Senior Professor at the ENT department of Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, highlighted these alarming statistics ahead of World No Tobacco Day - May 31. Citing the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), Dr. Singhal emphasized that the increasing trend of tobacco consumption among Rajasthan's youth is detrimental to their health, with nearly 78,000 people succumbing to tobacco-related deaths in the state. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS 2019) reveals that 74.3% of adolescents in Rajasthan have been exposed to tobacco product promotions, while 15.6% are aware of e-cigarettes. Dr. Singhal stressed that the tobacco industry uses innovative marketing strategies to attract young people, which has a direct impact on the youth. On World No Tobacco Day 2025, the theme "Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing the Industry's Tactics to Hook New Generations" will be discussed globally. The campaign aims to raise awareness among school and college students about the harmful effects of tobacco and the deceptive marketing strategies employed by the tobacco industry. Shyam Maru, Trustee of Sukham Foundation, emphasised the need for collective efforts to reduce cancer cases and promote a healthy society. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-II) 2017-18, 26.7 crore adults (28.6%) in India use tobacco, with 21.4% consuming smokeless tobacco and 10.7% smoking cigarettes and bidis. The survey also reveals that over 5,500 children start using tobacco daily in the country. UNI XC AKT SSP
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Address the rising burden of NCDs in India
In all regions of the world, the number of deaths from infectious diseases, maternal mortality and under-5 childhood mortality is going down, and now more people are dying from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In India, infectious diseases such as flu, malaria, and tuberculosis once dominated public health concerns, and now the spotlight has shifted to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease and other NCDs. These lifestyle-related illnesses lead to more deaths than all the other causes combined, and are driven by urbanisation, sedentary routines, convenience lifestyles, and stress levels. This silent epidemic impacts not only individuals and their health and futures but also places an enormous strain upon healthcare systems and on national economies. NCDs are responsible for two out of every three deaths throughout the globe, including in India, with reports indicating that someone dies from an NCD every two seconds. India is the diabetes capital of the world with some 215 million people who live with the condition, and 136 million who are pre-diabetic. In metros, up to 3 out of 4 adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic. The recent Apollo Hospitals' 'Health of the Nation 2025' report, based on health screenings from over 2.5 million individuals, revealed some alarming trends: 61% are obese in India with another 18% being overweight, 65% have fatty liver and 46% i.e. 1 in 2 have silent heart issues. Non-communicable diseases are often associated with the older generation. But Indians get diabetes some 10 to 20 years earlier than people in the West – at age 30, at the peak of their productive years. India's very future as an economic powerhouse on the world stage is in jeopardy unless we address NCDs. What must be appreciated is that the development of NCDs begins early in life, during adolescence, when lifestyle habits are usually acquired, and these lifestyle habits have long-lasting impact on long-term health. For instance, in India, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-2019) 8.5% of students aged 13-15 years use tobacco in one form or another. And this habit leads to heart disease, cancer and so many other serious diseases later in life. India's growing obesity problem especially among children was highlighted in the Economic Survey Report 2023-24. According to the report, while the adult obesity rate in India has more than tripled; the annual rise in children's obesity is the steepest in the world for India, according to the World Obesity Federation. The recent Apollo report also showed that obesity among students is rising rapidly – that 8% of primary school students were already overweight or obese, and that increases significantly to reach 28% among college students. According to the WHO / Lancet 2019--3 out of 4 teens in India get 'insufficient physical activity' and the CNNS National Nutrition Survey -2016-2018 showed that >10% of school-going children (5-9 years) and adolescents (10-19 years) were estimated to be pre-diabetic in India. Another study showed that 35% of India's 10-year-olds have high blood pressure. These alarming findings have informed India's ambitious child nutrition programmes and policy recommendations that address the triple burden of malnutrition and start programmes in the early years to instill healthy lifelong eating habits. There are 280 million adolescents in India and preserving their health and setting them up for a lifetime of health is critical to India's future. School-based public health interventions that use compelling, age-appropriate games and activities, and teach 11- and 12-year-olds how to choose healthy foods, avoid fried food and junk food, and simply go out to play during Games period instead of sitting and talking to friends, are an important strategy to combat diabetes and related NCDs. This strategy is in fact a key pillar of India's national Ayushman Bharat school health curriculum. India cannot treat its way out of the NCD crisis – the problem is simply too big. But we know from WHO and compelling clinical studies that 80% of type 2 diabetes, and 80% of heart disease can be prevented with 3 lifestyle changes – one must eat right, increase physical activity and avoid tobacco. Prevention through lifestyle change is smart. The key to control NCDs is early detection and prevention. India has a huge focus on screening for diabetes and hypertension. But a multi-faceted and integrated approach where prevention and behaviour change efforts are also part of the government health systems, is key. Furthermore, these public health interventions must be delivered outside the doctor's office because overworked healthcare providers simply do not have time to give any lifestyle change advice to their patients. Schools and workplaces, the kitchen table, social media channels, chefs, street food vendors, influencers, all become crucibles for change. Adopting models that help take prevention to the doorsteps of people's homes, is important. Today mobile phones have made it easier to reach people in remote areas as well. Something as simple as a text message can empower people to get off the couch and move. Addressing NCDs requires collective action—no single sector can tackle the challenge alone. Meaningful collaboration among governments, private enterprises, civil society, academia, is essential to drive lasting impact. Leadership from the government is key but NGOs must be included as important stakeholders as they make terrific implementers including at the last mile. Community engagement is vital for cultural relevance and for effectiveness, in the designing, implementing, and evaluation of programs. It is also important that NGOs collaborate among themselves – that education NGOs partner with health NGOs to improve reading and literacy and health all at the same time. We applaud the government of India for being the first country to step up and have an action plan for NCDs, for its emphasis on health and wellness centers, and screening for hypertension and diabetes, for covering the costs of hospitalizations for the very poor etc. All these are efforts to strengthen India's healthcare system and much needed. But more emphasis on preventative measures is also needed, including on workplace health, and leveraging AI for improving the effective use of mobile technology. If India doesn't tackle diabetes and NCDs, it will have a weaker workforce as millions more get diabetes. And our country will lose its potential to be a global economic powerhouse. If India doesn't tackle diabetes and NCDs head on, right now, the world won't meet SDG#3. The stakes are that high. Inaction is not an option. This article is authored by Dr Nalini Saligram, founder & CEO, Arogya World.
