Tobacco users have declined significantly in Bangladesh in the last eight years amid signs that anti-tobacco measures yielded benefits, according to a new survey.
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim revealed the information citing a factsheet of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017, reports bdnews24.com.
The survey was conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics with the support of the World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the US.
It showed that the consumption rate among the population aged 15 and above have dropped to 35.3 per cent in 2017 from 43.3 per cent in 2009 when the first GATS was done.
The reduction was mostly among the men -- 46 per cent down from 58 per cent.
Among women, it was reduced to only 25.2 per cent from 28.7 per cent as the smokeless tobacco which women mostly chew did not decrease, compared to smoking products.
Experts, however, warned against complacency as there are examples in the world that tobacco consumption rose after an initial decline. Japan Tobacco’s entry to Bangladesh also worries them.
