A survey has reported that every second adult in Bihar is addicted to smokeless tobacco product ‘khaini’.
“Altogether 63 per cent males and 35 per cent females in Bihar use smokeless tobacco,” the survey by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS India) says.
“Every second adult in Bihar uses smokeless tobacco and its prevalence in the state is the highest among all states in India,” it said.
Among the six geographical regions of the north, east, central, north east, west and south in the country, the prevalence of tobacco use in any form and that of smokeless tobacco is the highest in the eastern region.
The survey shows that tobacco use starts among adults in the state between the ages 20 and 34, while daily tobacco use starts on an average at the age 18.8 years.
The mean age of initiation of smoking and smokeless tobacco is 20-34 is and 18.8 years respectively.Every third smoker aged between 20 and 34 had started using tobacco daily before attaining the age of 18, it says.
Tobacco users, especially users of smokeless tobacco, rarely quit once they start using it.
One in three daily smokers can quit smoking successfully, but in the case of smokeless tobacco only one in 16 could kick the habit, the survey says. Nearly three in five smokers and users of smokeless tobacco wanted to quit tobacco in the past 12 months prior to the survey.
Among them 48 per cent were smokers and 35 using smokeless tobacco, it says.