Over half of the male population in 15-49 years uses tobacco, 14.1% in female
Moa Jamir
Dimapur | May 17
Alcohol consumption in ‘dry’ Nagaland, among people in the age group of 15-49 years, is higher than the national average, as per the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) report.
In addition, tobacco usage in Nagaland was also much higher than the all-India average, though both alcohol and tobacco consumption declined between 2015-16 (NFHS-4) and 2019–21.
As per the report, 31% of men in the age 15-49 years consume alcohol in Nagaland as against the national average of 22.4%. However, the report showed that only 1.4% of the female in the same age group consumes alcohol in Nagaland against the national average of 0.7%.
Alcohol consumption
The alcohol consumption in Nagaland was 38.4% for men and 3.3% for women during the NFHS-4 while tobacco usage was 69.2% and 27.4% for men and women respectively.
Meanwhile, as per the NFHS-5, consumption of alcohol was highest in Arunachal Pradesh for both male (54.2) and female (24.4), followed by Sikkim (16.2 female, 41.1 male) and Telangana (6.7 female and 49.1 male).
In India, among women who drink alcohol, 17% drink alcohol almost every day and 37% drink alcohol about once a week while among men who drink alcohol, 15% drink alcohol almost every day, 43% drink alcohol about once a week, and 42% drink less than once a week.
Incidentally in Nagaland, the report showed that consumption of alcohol among men was much higher in rural than urban areas, though, among women, it was reverse.
In urban areas, 5% of women and 12% of men drink alcohol while in rural areas, 2% of women and 33% of men drink alcohol, the report informed.
Most men who drink alcohol drink it about once a week (39%) or less than once a week (46%), and 15 percent drink almost every day. A total of 4% among the women drinkers said they drink “Almost every day.”
Tobacco usages
Meanwhile, over half (54.5%) of men and 14.1% of women, age 15-49 use some form of tobacco in Nagaland, the report informed.
Tobacco products mostly used by men are gutkha or paan masala with tobacco (34%), cigarettes (21%), bidis and paan with tobacco (11%).
Among men, the use of any form of tobacco is much higher in rural areas (58%) than in urban areas (48% for men). Men who smoke cigarettes (56%), smoked fewer than 5 cigarettes in the past 24 hours.
In India, 38.8% of men and 8.9% of women age 15 and over currently use any tobacco products. Among men as well as women, the use of tobacco is higher in rural areas (43% for men and 11% for women) than in urban areas (29% for men and 6% for women).
Tobacco use among men aged 15 and over is highest in Mizoram (73%), followed by Andaman & Nicobar Islands (59%) and Manipur (58%). Tobacco use among women was highest in Mizoram (62%), Tripura (51%), and Manipur (43%).
District-wise Data
As per district-wise ‘Factsheet’ of the NFHS-5, consumption of alcohol among male adults in Nagaland is highest in Wokha (27.7%), followed by Kohima (27.4%), Peren (26.1%) and Dimapur (25.7%). Among female in the same cohort, consumption was highest in Dimapur at 1.7%, followed by 1.4% in Peren, and 1.2% in Kohima.
Usage of tobacco was highest among men in Longleng at 54%, closely followed by Mokokchung at 53% and Mon (52.4%).
The district wise data pertains to both males and females aged 15 years and above.
It must be noted here that while part of the NFHS-5 data was released last year, the overall report of the survey conducted under the stewardship of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), was released recently.
In Nagaland, the NFHS-5 fieldwork was conducted in all 11 districts from July 15, 2019 to December 6, 2019.
Information was collected from 10,112 households, 9,694 women aged 15-49 (including 1,515 women interviewed in PSUs in the state module), and 1,456 men aged 15-54.
