High tobacco consumption in northeast revealed in NFHS -5 explains rising cancer incidence in the region

Mizoram tops the list of percentage of tobacco consumption in all north-eastern states, according to National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data. The NFHS data reveals that 72.9 percent male with 15 years and above consume tobacco, while percentage of female in this group who consume tobacco is 61.6.

Manipur ranks second in this category. The survey data shows that 58.5 percent male and 43.1 female in this age-group consume tobacco.

Percentage of tobacco consumption above 15 years is the lowest in Sikkim. It is 11.7 in case of female and 41.3 in case of male respectively.

The Report on ‘Monitoring Survey of Cancer Risk Factors and Health System Response in North East Region (NER) of India, 2022’ states that close to half of the cancers (49.3%) among males in the northeast region were cancers in sites associated with tobacco use. The report published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) highlights that “There is sufficient evidence that besides lung cancer, smoked tobacco is causally associated with cancer of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder and pancreas.” “Smokeless tobacco has been linked with a high chance of oral potentially malignant diseases (OPMD) and cancers of the head and neck and oesophagus,” the report states.

“The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act (COTPA), 2003 prohibits smoking in public places, promotion of branded tobacco products, sale of tobacco products by or to minor and pictorial warning labels on tobacco products. However, the actual implementation of the Act could be a matter of concern,” adds the ICMR-NCDIR report.

The NFHS-5 data also reveals a significant rural-urban difference in respect of percentage of tobacco consumption. It is higher in urban areas than the rural pockets in all north-eastern states.

In urban areas of Mizoram, 77.4 percentage male and 68.5 percent female in this age group consume tobacco. In rural Mizoram, 69.5 per cent male and 56.6 per cent female with 15 years above consume tobacco.

In urban areas of Manipur 62.4 percent male and 46.6 percent female above 15 years consume tobacco. In rural Manipur it is 51.4 percentage male and 37.7 percent respectively.

In urban Sikkim, 43.3 per cent male and 14.1 female consume tobacco. In rural areas of the state 38 per cent male and 7.9 per cent female above 15 years consume tobacco.

The gender difference of percentage of tobacco consumption is also very sharp, according to the statistics of NFHS-5.

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Ratna Bharali Talukdar