Bhutan, a country where the sale of tobacco is banned, ironically, has the highest number of adolescent smokers and tobacco users in South-East Asia, revealed a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
According to a regional report on mental health status of adolescents by the WHO, of the 5,809 students in the age group of 13-17 years evaluated, almost 1,700 of them used tobacco products.
With 24.2 per cent, Bhutanese youth also tops in terms of alcohol use in the region. Male students were more likely to indulge in substance use than female students. The findings are based on the latest round of the global school based student health surveys conducted by the WHO.
The report states that the actual prevalence maybe higher as the current estimate is based only on school-going adolescents. It states the non-school-going adolescents may smoke or drink alcohol more often.
In Bhutan, 9.4 percent of the population falls in the age group of 13-17 years. The report reasons that mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or other conditions may have lead to behavioural problem such as tobacco, alcohol and drug use.
With high substance use among the age group despite underage laws and complete ban in most of the countries, the report calls for efficient implementation of strategies to reduce its consumption such as price and taxation and controls on availability among others.
