Programme areas
Tobacco Free Initiative
Pakistan has a population of 160 million. Of 22-25 million smokers,
around 36% of adult males and 9% of adult females are tobacco users,
giving a male to female ratio of 4:1 (National Health Survey 1994).
However, a cause of concern is the narrowing of this gender
difference in younger smokers.
In Pakistan about 60,000 people die annually from tobacco-related diseases. The finding of Pakistan Health Education Survey 1999 revealed that the prevalence rate of smoking was highest amongst the heads of households in the province of Balochistan (51.7%), followed by Punjab (43.3%) and lowest in the province of NWFP (14.4%); the lowest rate of smoking in NWFP could be attributed to the use of other types of traditional oral tobacco in the form of snuff (Naswar).
While the prevalence of smoking in the province of Sindh and AJK were closer to the national level of 35.8%. These differences in the prevalence rates of smoking in various provinces are in line with a base round survey of PHES 1991 and NHSP 1990-94 with the exception of Balochistan province. Smoking of Cigarettes gradually declined from 41% among the illiterate to 37.6% among those educated up to the middle level and then sharply declined to 28.5% among those with secondary level of education.
Prevalence rates were found to be the lowest (17%) amongst the heads of households holding a graduate or a higher degree thus demonstrate a negative association of smoking and educational level.
Prevalence of smoking was found to be highest amongst the poor socioeconomic classes (39.6%) followed by 36.0% in the middle class and lowest in the highest socioeconomic class (28.2%).
The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) carried out in five districts of Pakistan found the boy to girl tobacco use ratio to be 2:1 (It used to be 7:1 just a decade ago). Tobacco use in Pakistan is not limited to cigarette smoking. Pipe smoking with chillum and huqqa and chewing tobacco in pan, snuff and niswar are some other common ways of intake.
The increasing trend of tobacco consumption in Pakistan indicates that the country should intensify its efforts in pursuing sound tobacco control policies and operational strategies and continue to work with a solid recognition and commitment to the health aspirations of the future generations in Pakistan. As the table above also illustrates, according to the 1999 Pakistan Health Education Survey, prevalence of cigarette smoking increases with age and is higher in rural than in urban areas.
|
Prevalence of smoking cigarettes among heads of households, 1999 PHES |
||||||||
|
Age |
Punjab |
Sindh |
NWFP |
Baloch |
AJK |
Urban |
Rural |
Pakistan |
|
15-29 |
34.5 |
26.9 |
13.3 |
57.3 |
26.2 |
25.1 |
32.6 |
32.6 |
|
30-34 |
38.7 |
31.6 |
14.6 |
45.4 |
40.4 |
27.3 |
36.5 |
33.2 |
|
35-39 |
44.6 |
32.6 |
14.2 |
53.3 |
30.1 |
29 |
40.6 |
36.2 |
|
40-44 |
46.1 |
37.5 |
17.1 |
49.9 |
48.6 |
32.3 |
42.4 |
38.6 |
|
45-54 |
47.6 |
41.9 |
13.4 |
53.8 |
26.9 |
35.3 |
40.4 |
38.9 |
|
>=55 |
52.2 |
31.7 |
11.9 |
45.7 |
25 |
34.1 |
42.1 |
38.9 |
|
Overall |
43.3 |
33.1 |
14.1 |
51.5 |
|
30 |
38.6 |
36 |
About 30-40% of smokers in Pakistan have no education and smoking is inversely related to education level, with the trend from 1994 to 1999 showing an increasing differential associated with education, as Figure below.
In these surveys, it was found that families of lower income had more smokers than the better off families. It was also found that 21% of the households had two smokers and 12% had three or more smokers. Families with more than one smoker tended to have lower income than those with only one smoker, showing a clear inverse relationship of smoking with monthly income.
:: Tobacco-related health hazards
:: Establishment of a Tobacco Control Cell
:: Building alliance to combat the tobacco epidemic
:: Tobacco control legislation