'One in three students below high school level consume tobacco in UP'

Lucknow, Dec 1 (IANS) A Global Young Tobacco Survey by the World Health Organisation has found that one in every three students below the high school level in Uttar Pradesh consumes tobacco in some form or the other.

Seeking a safe place, 37.4 per cent students smoke at their own home while 19.8 per cent do so at a friend's place, the survey found.

The friend's place in obviously the more preferred smoking corner of nearly 20 per cent of teenagers in the state.

The report said, "About 13.5 per cent of the respondents said they smoke at school, 10.8 per cent at public places and 8.9 per cent at social events while 9.7 per cent students smoke at random places."

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) report on tobacco consumption among students reveals that about 23 per cent of the students in Uttar Pradesh, including 22 per cent boys and 24 per girls, use tobacco in some form.

GYTS is a cross-sectional nationally representative, school-based survey of students in the 13 to 15 years age group. It uses global standardised methodology with a probability proportional to enrolment size. The survey questionnaire covers tobacco use, cessation, second-hand smoke and other aspects of tobacco usage.