GUWAHATI: Rural Assam was found to be drinking alcohol and using tobacco products than urban areas of the state.  

The latest National Family Health Survey -5 (NFHS) found that in Assam where tobacco use and alcohol consumption was comparatively higher than in other states, an average of 22 percent of women and 51 percent of men were using tobacco products.

The survey said, “In Assam, while 23.2 percent women aged 15 years and above use any kind of tobacco, some 16.2 percent of women in urban areas use tobacco products. For men, the ratio was found to be 53.3 in rural areas whereas 43.9 in urban areas.”

Similarly, at least 8.2 percent of women aged 15 years and above from rural areas were found to be consuming alcohol in comparison to 2.6 percent in urban areas.

“At least 25.9 percent men in rural areas consume alcohol while 21.3 percent men in urban areas consume alcohol in Assam,” the NFHS report said.

NFHS-5 fieldwork for Assam was conducted from June 17, 2019, to December 21, 2019, by Nielsen India Pvt. Ltd. Information was gathered from 30,119 households, 34,979 women, and 4,973 men.