Guwahati’s Dr. B Barooah Cancer Institute released a survey report on June 8 revealing that North-East India has the highest prevalence of alcohol and cigarette consumption.
The survey was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Center for Disease Informatics and Research.
According to the survey, North-East India consumes 45.7 percent more tobacco in any form than the rest of the country, 15.5 percent more smoked tobacco daily, and 33.6 percent more tobacco in smokeless forms.
Likewise, the prevalence of alcohol use in both men and women in North-East India was found to be 22.3 percent higher than the national average of 12 percent, nearly double that of the rest of the country.
In addition, it was discovered that 35.2 percent of men in the North-East region aged 18 to 69 years old admitted to drinking alcohol.
Dr. Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of the Dr. B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) informed that India’s disease pattern has shifted in the last two decades from infectious diseases, malnutrition, and maternal and childhood diseases to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, etc.
Obesity, high blood pressure, and sugar were found to be present in 3.7 percent, 31.8 percent, and 10.7 percent of the population in North-East India, respectively.
North-East India has the lowest prevalence of overweight (22.4 percent), obesity (3.7 percent), and central obesity (29.0 percent) than the rest of the country, according to a survey published in the journal BMC Public Health in May 2022.
NCDs were responsible for 65 percent of all fatalities in the country in 2019. The high frequency of alcohol and cigarette usage among North-East Indians has been a major source of worry. Dr. Kataki explained that greater regional action plans are needed to address the region’s tobacco and alcohol problems.
