Deaths due to passive smoking in India up 50 pc compared to 1990: Lancet study
A new study in The Lancet Public Health reveals that while death rates from passive smoking in India have declined since 1990, the absolute number of deaths has risen by 50% due to increased exposure. The findings emphasize the ongoing public health challenge posed by second-hand smoke in densely populated nations.
Why it matters
The data underscores the need for more aggressive public health policies to combat passive smoking, as population growth continues to outpace improvements in individual risk rates.
Deaths in India due to second hand smoke increased nearly 50% in 2023, compared to 1990, even as death rates improved by about 30%, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet Public Health journal.
The estimates also suggest that while the population exposed to second hand smoke increased from 375 million in 1990 to 444 million in 2026 -- up by 18.4% -- age-standardised prevalence dropped from 43.2 per cent in 1990 to 30.6 per cent in 2023 in India.
Age-standardised prevalence is a statistical adjustment made to data to allow a fair comparison of prevalence across age groups.
An international team of researchers forming the 'Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 Second-hand smoke Collaborators' estimated prevalence of exposure to passive smoking and the disease burden it contributes to across 204 countries and territories.
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