Shocking: Half of Delhi's school kids consuming tobacco

New Delhi: Is your child suffering from depression or stress? Have you ever asked your child the reason for his/her dejection? Parents now need to be cautious of what their child does the whole day long as Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has found that at least half the school student population in Delhi consumes tobacco in some form.And the main reason cited for such habits is stress.The study was conducted taking the sample size of 700 children studying in government schools in 12 districts of the National Capital.The age of the children ranged between 14 to 18 years. The conclusion of the study revealed that stress (37.7 per cent) is the most common cause of tobacco consumption by students. In many cases, children use tobacco products to show themselves as grown-up individuals (21.7 per cent). Pressure from friends or peers (15.6 per cent), curiosity (11.5 per cent) and attempt to develop self confidence (9.5 per cent) are also cited as reasons behind the menace. One fourth of the children surveyed were found to be chewing tobacco, while others smoked beedi and cigarettes. Interestingly, 75 per cent of the children who often use tobacco are those whose parents do not consume any type of drugs. In India, more than 1 million die from consuming tobacco every year. Chewing tobacco causes oral cancer which is a very common disease in India. Chewing gutkha, pan, beedi are popular habits among the poor. Thus increasing the percentage of cancer patients in the country.