Six out of 10 can kick the butt, reveals study

New Delhi: On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, a recent study conducted by a leading private hospital has revealed that with the right set of social and behavioural stimuli, six out of 10 people can quit smoking and chewing tobacco. Another survey revealed that nearly 59 per cent of Indians feel that banning the sale of loose cigarettes is likely to discourage the habit of smoking.

Sharing the information, senior consultant of BLK Cancer Centre, Dr Ashish Goel, said, “When we gave clues pertaining to behavioral modifications and familial support and counselling on quitting, many seem inclined which strengthened our conviction that over 60 per cent of those addicted can be reformed.”

Doctors say that through their observations they attempted to look at the behavioural pattern of those who were addicted to smoking or chewing tobacco. “While the reasons for getting initiated into tobacco consumption ranged from fashion to stress and even experiment, there was little or no consideration by patients when it came to quitting the habits, even though many agreed that they were reprimanded by family at times,” informed director, BLK Cancer Centre and head surgical oncology, Dr Kapil Kumar. Another study “Pulse of the Nation Poll” by InShorts, a news app, in association with global research firm, Ipsos, revealed that a majority of Indians (59 per cent) feel banning the sales of loose cigarettes will discourage smoking.

Given how prevalent tobacco consumption, especially active or passive smoking is, a total of 8,179 unique users participated in the poll, giving a total of 68,371 responses. From the effectiveness of warning graphics on cigarette boxes, banning the sales of loose cigarettes, to different motives of smoking and more, the poll revealed some interesting trends on tobacco consumption.

“It was found that while 55 per cent of Indians feel that users of tobacco products should not have the freedom to consume what they want, 68 per cent would like the government to take stronger steps to discourage consumption of tobacco,” said CEO and co-founder, InShorts, Azhar Iqubal.