Hectic life pushing Delhiites towards drinking, smoking

New Delhi: An alarming 73 per cent people in Delhi-NCR consume alcohol with 14 per cent drinking upwards of 14 small pegs in a week, a recent survey by a city hospital said.

Nearly 80 per cent of the city’s youth are likely to go out and drink once a week, including 43 per cent consuming hard drinks while around 35 per cent in this age group smoke 20 cigarettes a day. This data was revealed by the survey, which was undertaken to understand the lifestyle habits of Delhiites across age groups between 20 and beyond 60.

Moreover, women are more likely to be social drinkers (31 per cent) as compared to men (23 per cent). However, men tend to consume more alcohol with 20 per cent drinking more than 6 small pegs per week as compared to 8 per cent women.

At 44 per cent, women smoke more than men (32 per cent). When it comes to analysing quantity, it is alarming to note that 35 per cent of 21 to 30 year olds and 25 per cent of 31 to 40 year olds finish a packet of cigarettes in a day.

The department of cardiac sciences at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket undertook the survey led by Dr K.K. Talwar, the chairman of cardiology at Max Healthcare, to understand the lifestyle habits of Delhiites. This survey of approximately 1,000 respondents was aimed at knowing prevalent habits and changing lifestyle trends which impact and may explain the deteriorating heart health of the city.

Meanwhile, with a demanding professional and social life, intrusion of social media and technology, and irregular daily routines, more than half of Delhi’s population (44 per cent women and 57 per cent men) experience frequently interrupted sleep patterns and over 26 per cent experience outright insomnia or erratic sleep.

“In my 40 years of practice, I see urban India at its worst state of being at high cardiac risk. This is not just a result of poor eating or inadequate exercising; it is a combination of the above along with a hectic and stressful life, which in turn pushes the majority of youth taking respite in unhealthy habits like drinking and smoking,” said Dr Talwar.