In cigarette smoking, women beat males by age in India

An average Indian starts tobacco smoking at 17.8 years, the initiation age being the lowest, 14.9 in Chhattisgarh and the highest-20.4 years- in Himachal. Over 60 per cent daily tobacco users are so addicted that they want tobacco within half an hour of waking up, concludes the 2009-2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) for India, conducted on 99.9 per cent of India’s population in 29 states, UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Though overall tobacco prevalence is lesser in females (20.3 per cent) as against males (47.9) so is overall cigarette use (2.9 per cent females smoke as against 24.3 per cent men), the fair sex is much more nicotine dependent than men. Cigarettes smoked a day, which is an indicator of nicotine addiction, is much higher for females who consume 7 cigarettes a day while men smoke 6.2. Urban male smokers smoke a higher number of cigarettes (6.4) than their rural counterparts (6), but female cigarette smokers in rural areas beat urban females by consuming 7.2 cigarettes a day against 5.8 sticks a day in cities.

In cigarette smoking, women beat males by age too: Boys aged 15 to 24 smoke 4.8 cigarettes a day; girls puff 9 a day. Men aged 25 to 44 smoke 6 cigarettes a day while women that age consume 8.4 sticks a day. Even beyond 65 years, males are smoking 6.3 cigarettes a day but women want 7.9 a day. Further, working males (government/private sectors) smoke lesser cigarettes a day (6.3) than their female counterparts (7.6).