adminBetween 2009 and 2016, India has made progress in reducing the prevalence of use of both smoked and smokeless forms of tobacco. There is significant reduction in prevalence even when disaggregated for gender, urban or rural residence, age or forms of tobacco use. Exposure to second hand smoking too has declined at home and at all public places, except at the work-place, where it is stagnated. Promotion of tobacco use has declined, and anti-tobacco messages on tobacco packs are more visible, prompting more tobacco users to think of quitting. Efforts to quit tobacco use have increased, but successful quitting remains low.
However, large scale variations are noticed across different states as evident in the full report. While some States have been successful in achieving decline in tobacco use prevalence, others need to undertake more concerted efforts for effective tobacco control. The current levels of tobacco use are still very high across the nation which calls for sustained efforts at all levels and multi-sectorial coordination to bring down tobacco use across all sections of the population. The strict enforcement of COTPA 2003, enhanced implementation of National Tobacco Control Programme and WHO FCTC will definitely lead to acceleration of existing efforts for prevention and control of tobacco and achievement of the global targets in a timely manner.
