Information Madness

Smoking is injurious to health. Everyone knows about this and the warning is also provided on the cigarette boxes. But the fact is, once you start smoking, you are addicted to it and no matter how hard you try, it is difficult to quit smoking. Once you get nicotine cravings, you have to smoke.

Well for those who are willing to quit smoking now can use some medical help. Johnson & Johnson Ltd has brought sugar-free nicotine gum called Nicorette in India that helps reduce nicotine cravings.

Nicorette®will be available in packs of 4mg (10 gums), which are for “heavy smokers” through a doctor’s prescription and as an OTC product of 2mg (4 & 10 gums) for “light smokers”, beginning December 25, 2010.

A Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) product, Nicorette® provides therapeutic and clean nicotine, slowly and in lesser quantities as compared to a cigarette, but also just enough to satisfy the cravings. NRT substitutes some of the nicotine obtained from smoking, thereby controlling craving and withdrawal symptoms, and thus preventing relapse to smoking. More importantly, unlike tobacco smoke, it delivers nicotine which is devoid of any harmful chemicals like tar, irritants and carbon monoxide, and hence is safer than smoking a cigarette.

SMOKING IN INDIA

Some facts…

Who and How Many

* There are over one billion smokers globally, with an estimated 110 million in India. The estimated number of tobacco users in India is 275 million.
* One-third of all adults in India (35%) use tobacco in some form or the other. While 21% use only smokeless tobacco 9% only smoke and 5% smoke as well as use smokeless tobacco.
* Prevalence of tobacco use decreases with increase in education among both males and females.
* In India, tobacco consumption is widely prevalent and culturally accepted. Tobacco use among population age group of 15-24 is 18%.
* The prevalence of smoking in Indian males is 24% and consumption of chewing tobacco is more common amongst woman with a prevalence of 18% nationwide.
* Indian smokers smoke an average of 6.2 cigarettes per day and average expenditure on cigarettes for daily smokers is Rs. 399.20 per month.
* 1/4th of daily cigarette smokers smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day.

How it Works

* Each puff on a cigarette sends nicotine to the brain within 10 seconds.
* Tar and carbon monoxide from tobacco smoke harm the body by producing carboxy-haemoglobin, raising blood and plasma viscosity as well as increasing platelet aggregation.
* Tobacco dependence is perpetuated by regular doses of nicotine. Regular smoking makes it necessary to maintain certain levels of nicotine in the brain for normal functioning and pleasure derivation.
* Nicotine is one of the many components of tobacco smoke and is addictive in nature. However, other components of tobacco smoke comprising tar, irritants and carbon monoxide are the actual cause of tobacco related diseases.

Effects of Smoking

* It is estimated that every cigarette takes 11 minutes off a smoker’s life.
* Worldwide tobacco kills 1 person every 6 seconds.
* It is estimated that in the year 2015, 1, 43,963 Indians would have been diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal cancers and 91,029 would have died of the disease.

Knowledge and awareness

* The awareness about smoking causing strokes is only 49%.
* Only 64% believe that smoking causes heart attacks.
* While 85% believe that smoking causes lung cancer.
* Over 4/5th of adults believe that second hand smoke causes serious illness among non smokers.

Quitting

* 38% smokers and 35% smokeless tobacco users made an attempt to quit in the past 12 months.
* Nearly half of current smokers (47%) and smokeless tobacco users (46%) want to quit their tobacco use but a meager 2% succeed.
* The quit attempts by smokers using different cessation methods included pharmacotherapy (NRT/ prescription meds) – 4.1%, counseling/ advice – 9.2% and others (traditional meds, switching to smokeless tobacco) – 26%.
* Indian smokers are amongst the most motivated when compared to other Asian smokers to quit/reduce smoking with nearly 38% indicating that they were- extremely/very/somewhat motivated.
* Only 29% of all Indian smokers are extremely/very satisfied with the products and methods available as aids for smoking cessation.
* Medication and support from healthcare professionals can more than double the chances of quitting.