Smokers display not only poorer physical health, but also mental health!

Smokers show hypersensitive behaviour that is 200% higher than non–smokers. Smokers get affectedwith mental stress that is178 per centhigheras compared to non-smokers, with further increase in issues such as broken and insufficient sleep, lack of motivation, overeating or undereating and anger outbursts over family or at work according to a study done by choose life.

Despite knowing the serious health effects of smoking, 74 per cent of the surveyed smokers feel that it is hard to quit smoking. Shockingly,3 in 4 respondents smoked even if they were unwell and 8 in 10 smokers felt the urge to smoke as soon as they woke up.

The alarming concern is that more than 65 per cent men who smoke cigarettes had high blood pressure and 4 out of 5 smokers had higher levels of carbon monoxide (CO) as compared to non-smokers. High blood pressure and elevated CO levels can have a serious impact on physical and mental health.

Another significant finding of the study shows that 91 per cent smokers have been advised by their doctors to give up smoking, unfortunately, more than 75 per cent smokers who had attempted to quit, took to smoking again within 3 months.

The survey indicates that quitting smoking is a monumental task and most people struggle to succeed in their efforts. It is important to note that the patterns don’t change significantly across cities. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow or Kolkata, the challenges associated with quitting smoking are still the same.

Tobacco use kills more than 900,000 people a year in India, and the World Health Organisation estimates that tobacco-related diseases cost the country about $16 billion annually*. It will be crucial to support more smokers in quitting to smoke.

The survey revealed that almost 88 per cent smokers took to the habit under the age of 24 years, and 55 per cent of them started smoking to look cool or just for fun.

About Choose Life Study: The Choose Life study was conducted by leading Pulmonologists / Chest Physicians from Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. The focus of the study was to raise awareness on the ill-effects of smoking, encouraging smokers in their quit journey and making them choose life, not cigarettes.

The study was conducted amongst 1000 males, both smokers (50 per cent) and non-smokers (50 per cent), between the ages of 25 - 50 years, across sec A and B socio-economic classes. The smokers considered were those smoking more than 10 cigarettes / day.

The objective of the study was twofold

1. To highlight the differences in health, mind sets and emotional levels of smokers and non-smokers.
2. To document the efforts undertaken by smokers to quit smoking and their outcome.
The study was conducted in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Lucknow.
It is clearly visible through the research findings that a lot more needs to be done to help people quit smoking. Creating awareness on the ill-effects of smoking is just addressing a part of the problem. The larger challenge lies in helping smokers in their quit journey and making them choose life, not cigarettes.
Additional findings:
• Smokers from Mumbai (78 per cent) have made maximum attempts to quit smoking but were not able to quit.Most of the smokers from sample size wanted to give up smoking for their kids and wife or both.
• 90 per cent smokers from Delhi haveCO levels in the 11+ ppm zone, leading to increased health risks. 47 per cent smokers from Mumbai were found to be pre-hypertensive (BP -120-139 systolic or diastolic 80-89). 19 per cent smokers from Bangalore tested as stage 2 hypertensive (BP – 160 or higher systolic or 100 or higher diastolic)
• Data indicates that 47 per cent smokers from Delhi don’t exercise at all.
• 34 per cent smokers from Lucknow smoked to look cool, the highest across the five cities.
• Unlike 100% non-smokers, 45% of smokers fail to hold their breath for even 10 seconds.