Highlights of the Survey:
Tobacco use:
» Nearly one-fifth of the students aged 13-15 used any form of the tobacco product (smoking, smokeless, and any other form) in their life. However, the current use (during last 30 days) was 8.5%. Between the last two surveys, the current use declined by 42% (2009-2019).
» The current use of tobacco among students across the States/UTs ranged from the highest in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram (58 Per cent each) to the lowest in Himachal Pradesh (1.1 Per cent) and Karnataka (1.2 Per cent).
» Prevalence of tobacco use among boys was 9.6% and among girls was 7.4%.
» The prevalence of smoking tobacco was 7.3%. In case of smokeless tobacco product, the prevalence was 4.1%.
» Use of any form of tobacco was higher among boys than girls.
Age of initiation of tobacco:
» 38% of cigarette, 47% of bidi smokers and 52% of smokeless tobacco users initiated the use before their 10th birthday. The median age at initiation of cigarette and bidi smoking, and smokeless tobacco use were 11.5 years, 10.5 years and 9.9 years respectively.
Second-hand smoke:
» 29.5% of the students were exposed to second-hand smoke.