29 Per Cent Indians Exposed To Second-hand Smoke Outside Home

About five in ten adults (52.3 per cent) were exposed to second–hand smoke at home and 29.0 per cent at public places– mainly in public transport and restaurants.
The study found that 34.6 per cent of adults use tobacco in any form out of which 47.9 per cent were males and 20.3 per cent were females.
While 14 per cent of adults– 24.3 per cent of males and 2.9 per cent of females– smoked tobacco, 25.0 per cent of adults chewed tobacco.
More than five per cent of adults were cigarette smokers out of which 10.3 per cent were males and 0.8 per cent were females. Bidi smokers were 9.2 per cent of adults– 16.0 per cent of males and 1.9 per cent of females.
Among daily tobacco users, 60.2 per cent consumed tobacco within half an hour of waking up. Average age at initiation of tobacco use was 17.8 with 25.8 per cent of females starting tobacco use before the age of 15, the study said.
Among minors (age 15–17), 9.6 per cent consumed tobacco in some form and most of them were able to purchase tobacco products.
Five in ten current smokers (46.6 per cent) and users of smokeless tobacco (45.2 per cent) planned to quit or at least thought of quitting.