Over 60 percent youth in India are sensitive to e-cigarettes: Study

Nearly 61 per cent of people aged 15-30 in India who have never used an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) before are more susceptible to take up vaping in the future, according to a new study. The study, based on an international survey of 4,007 people including 456 from across India, identified exposure to e-cigarette advertising as the second biggest influence on sensitization after current or past tobacco use, while perceived harmfulness increased the likelihood of sensitization. reduced to

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sensitization to e-cigarette use among young people is a major public health concern due to the adverse health effects of nicotine on the developing brain and potential negative consequences from other chemicals present in the devices.

Sudhir Raj Thout, Research Fellow, said, “There is growing concern that young people in India are becoming more susceptible to e-cigarette use. Urgent intervention and addressing the risks and effects of e-cigarette use To do this, a massive campaign is essential. Institute in India.

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In addition, the survey showed that in India, 51 percent of those who had never used e-cigarettes before were curious about them, with 49 percent saying they would use one if introduced by a friend. , and 44 percent intended to use e-cigarettes. next year.

The researchers also found that nearly half (47 percent) of Indian respondents had seen an e-cigarette advertisement. These results were comparable to those in the UK (63 percent), China (51 percent) and Australia (30 percent), where the study also took place. The findings are published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

It is to be noted that most of the Indian respondents in the study had higher education and can be classified in the higher income group.

However, e-cigarettes were less likely to be addictive (66 percent) or harmful (66 percent) than in Australia (87 percent and 83 percent, respectively), where sensitivity was lowest (54 percent).

The researchers called for a complete ban on e-cigarette advertising, along with raising awareness of its harmful effects. The tobacco market in India is one of the largest in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 27 percent of the Indian population uses tobacco in some form or the other.

In 2019, India introduced the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act to protect its significant youth population from the harm of e-cigarettes. However, despite heavy fines, young people still have access to e-cigarettes through non-compliant retailers without any health warnings.