In MP, girls take up smoking cigarettes aged 7, says survey report

The survey report further states that the national average age of girls initiating cigarette smoking is 9.3 years whereas the national average age of boys is 10.4 years. The average age of youth (boys and girls) initiating cigarettes in Madhya Pradesh is 8.5 years while the national average is 11.5 years. Around 2.10 per cent of girls smoke cigarettes and 2.40 per cent of boys consume cigarettes in the state. Similarly, nearly 2.30 per cent of boys and 1 per cent of girls smoke Bidi. Around 4.40 per cent boys and 3.50 per cent girls consume tobacco in any form in the state. The age of these boys and girls is between 13 and 15 years old. Nevertheless, Madhya Pradesh is in 29th position in the highest consumption of Tobacco among youth when compared with 35 other states. (ANI)