A joint survey of ICMR-NCDIR has found that the prevalence of tobacco use (smoked and smokeless) in Mizoram is as high as 77.1 percent, with the use of smokeless tobacco higher at 54.1 percent as compared to smoked tobacco at 43.6 percent.
Mizoram health officials said that the 'Monitoring Survey of Cancer Risk Factors and Health System Response' in the northeast region was conducted recently as part of cancer research in the region by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) for prevention and control of cancer in the northeastern states.
According to the survey, the mean age of initiation of tobacco use is 20.2 years and the average duration of tobacco use among past smokers is 20.9 years.
Only 7.1 percent have been advised to quit tobacco use by a doctor or a health worker. As high as 86.8 percent of respondents reported exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.
Over half (58.1 percent) are current users of non-tobacco betel products in the form of pan masala, betel quid, or areca nut. As many as 54.6 percent are current users of betel quid, the study said.
The primary objective of the survey is the generation of key cancer and other related risk factors and health system response indicators in the regions covered by population-based cancer registries in Mizoram.
