Tobacco use in Nepal explained

Tobacco use in Nepal is a common practice. Smoking cigarettes is the most common mode of tobacco use in Nepal. Tobacco is attributed to cause over 27000 annual deaths in Nepal.[1]

Background

Both smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco are common practices in Nepal with 28.3% of adults consuming some form of tobacco in Nepal.[2] Out of smokeless tobacco, chewing tobacco is the most common form of tobacco use[3] Beedi use is also common among Nepalese women.[4] The Act against Tobacco was established in 2011, which prohibits the sale of tobacco use to minors and pregnant women.[5]

Prevalence of tobacco use

48.3% of males and 11.6% of female adults consumed some form of tobacco in 2019.[6] Cigarettes are the most common form of tobacco used by both sexes, while adults use less beedi compared to females.[7] Chewing tobacco is more common than the use of Gutka in Nepal .[8]

Smoking in Nepal

In 2019, 28.9% of adults (aged 15–69 years) used either smoked or smokeless tobacco products.[9] In the entire population, 17.1% of Nepalese smoked in 2019, with 22% male and 6% female. The average age for initiation of smoking is 17.8 years, with 17.7 for men and 18.4 for female.[10]

Legislation

Smoking is prohibited in public transportation, educational institutions, hospitals, restaurants, government offices, and other public places as per the Tobacco Act 2011.[11] The sale of cigarettes to minors and pregnant women is a punishable offence in Nepal, along with the act of smoking in the above-mentioned public places.[12] The advertisement of tobacco products is also prohibited.[13] Recently, the decision to ban the sale of tobacco in Kathmandu Metropolitan City was reverted by Patan High Court.[14]

Graphics warning

In 2015, Nepal implemented the world’s largest graphic warning on cigarette packets, which kept around 90% of the area covered with graphics and warning message.[15] [16]

Anti Smoking Campaign

Smokers are not selfish anti smoking campaign was initiated by Dr. Om Foundation from February 1 to 14, culminating on valentine’s day with aim to make meaningful sacrifices for loved ones by quitting habits of smoking and other tobacco products. In this campaign over 1600 individuals pledged to quit smoking.[17]

Companies

There are 12 officially registered tobacco companies in Nepal. Surya Tobacco Company is the largest cigarette manufacturer in Nepal.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annually, over 27,000 people die from consumption of tobacco products in country . 2024-02-24 . GorakhaPatra.
  2. NIH study . NIH. 2021 . 8383890 . Shrestha . G. . Phuyal . P. . Gautam . R. . Mulmi . R. . Pradhan . P. M. . 11 . 8 . e047847 . 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047847 . 34426463 .
  3. Sinha . D. N. . Bajracharya . B. . Khadka . B. B. . Rinchen . S. . Bhattad . V. B. . Singh . P. K. . October 2012 . Smokeless tobacco use in Nepal . Indian Journal of Cancer . en-US . 49 . 4 . 352–356 . 10.4103/0019-509X.107728 . free . 23442398 . 0019-509X.
  4. Smoking and smokeless tobacco use among urban women and men In Nepal . 2018 . 10.18332/tid/84331 . Bajracharya . Bikesh . Tobacco Induced Diseases . 16 . free .
  5. Web site: Tobacco Act 2011 .
  6. Web site: Nepal STEPS survey 2019 .
  7. Open health Journal . The Open Public Health Journal . 15 October 2021 . 14 . 1 . 10.2174/1874944502114010446 . Sharma . Pragati . Pahari . Sandip . Acharya . Shiva Raj . Moon . Deog Hwan . Shin . Yong Chul . free .
  8. Web site: Smokeless tobacco use in Nepal .
  9. Chand . Birendra . Bhusal . Sandesh . Pradhan . Pranil Man Singh . Paudel . Kiran . Adhikari . Nisha . Adhikari . Tara Ballav . Shrestha . Sushan Man . 2022-07-08 . Tobacco Use and Its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Public Health Students in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal . Journal of Environmental and Public Health . en . 2022 . e1495779 . 10.1155/2022/1495779 . free . 35844947 . 1687-9805.
  10. Web site: Review STEPS Survey 2019 .
  11. Web site: diwakar . 2021-02-03 . Smoking in public places is banned in Nepal, but no one cares about it - OnlineKhabar English News . 2024-02-24 . en-GB.
  12. Web site: Nepal: Bill on Tobacco Control Adopted by Legislature . 2024-02-24 . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
  13. Web site: Prohibition on sales and ads of tobacco .
  14. Web site: Republica . Patan High Court issues interim order against KMC's ban on sale of tobacco products . 2024-02-24 . My Republica . en.
  15. Society . Canadian Cancer . More than 100 countries and territories require graphic picture warnings on cigarette packages, says international report . 2024-02-24 . www.prnewswire.com . en.
  16. Web site: Nepal Implements World’s Largest Graphic Health Warnings on Tobacco… . 2024-02-24 . Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids . en.
  17. Web site: Republica . "Smokers Are not Selfish": School children actively engage in anti-smoking campaign . 2024-02-24 . My Republica . en.
  18. Web site: Tobacco Industry Nepal .

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