Second hand smoke exposure causing severe economic burden in India: Study
India Today
For the first time, a study has quantified the economic burden of second hand smoke exposure in India.
A study published in the Journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research has flagged the severe economic burden of second hand smoke exposure in India. The study revealed that second hand smoke causes Rs 567 billion in health care costs annually.
This accounts for eight per cent of total annual health care expenditure, on top of Rs 1,773 billion in annual economic burden from tobacco use.
The findings, for the first time, shed light on the financial burden of second hand smoke on country's healthcare system. This mostly affects India’s most vulnerable populations, including women, youth and those with lower incomes.
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Researchers used public data sources and a prevalence-based attributable risk approach to quantify the healthcare cost of continued exposure to second hand smoke among non-smokers aged 15 and older. Besides, the estimated figure of Rs 567 billion is only one part of the total economic costs. It does not include the additional indirect economic costs due to lost productivity and mortality caused by illness and early deaths arising from second hand smoke exposure, which would further increase the final figure.
According to health experts, second hand exposure continues to be high partly because of gaps in India’s smoke-free law, that still allows designated smoking areas in public places. The study recommends strengthening laws to effectively protect non-smokers from the health and economic impact of second hand smoke.
India has the second-largest number of tobacco users (268 million or 28.6% of all adults in India) in the world of these at least 1.2 million die every year from tobacco-related diseases. One million deaths are due to smoking, with over 200,000 due to second-hand smoke exposure, and over 35,000 are due to smokeless tobacco use. Nearly 27% of all cancers in India are due to tobacco use.
