Most tobacco quitters in India from Uttar Pradesh, shows NTQLS-VPCI survey

New Delhi: A survey of calls received by the central government's National Tobacco Quit Line Services (NTQLS) has shown that most of the tobacco quitters in the country are from Uttar Pradesh.The survey findings were released by the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (VPCI) on 'World No Tobacco Day' observed on May 31.

The VPCI survey based on NTQLS data revealed that 71,39,473 interactive voice response (IVR) calls were received till April 30, 2023 since May 30, 2016.

Out of the total number of IVR calls received by this centre, 20,43,227 calls were counselled, including 9,96,302 inbound calls, 26,80,657 outbound calls, and 3,91,160 registered by the call centre.

Most of the callers were from the state of Uttar Pradesh, it said. According to the survey, 1,56,644 (40 per cent) individuals studied had successfully given up tobacco use. Of these, the maximum 1,23,508 calls were received from Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Raj Kumar, director, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute said, "I would like to work with two objectives: firstly, those who have not started using tobacco should not start; secondly, those who have started by mistake should quit.

"And if you need any kind of help in quitting, we are ready to help. There is a team of National Tobacco Quit Line Service (NTQLS) always ready to help you by providing the right kind of information and proper counselling on tobacco quitting," he said.

The survey data also indicates that men make up the highest percentage of callers at 98 per cent, followed by transgenders at 5 per cent of the total population, while women comprise the lowest, that is, 2 per cent.

The highest number of tobacco consumers (1,74,097) surveyed were educated till class 10. Besides providing relief to a large number of patients in the community suffering from chest diseases, VPCI runs the National Tobacco Quitline Service (NTQLS), an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The NTQLS has been working for the last seven years to help people get rid of tobacco and smoking addiction.

"The counselling and guidance provided by NTQLS call centre has been very useful to those who are tobacco users, but want to quit at the earliest," Kumar said.

The NTQLS was inaugurated by then Union health minister J P Nadda in 2016. Though this service was initially established with six counsellor stations, it was later expanded in 2020 by then Union Minister of State for Health, Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

At present, the number of counsellors and other staff at NTQLS has increased to 64. The toll free number to contact the centre is 1800112356. Its three satellite centres are operating at NIMHANS Bengaluru; Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati; and Tata Memorial Center, Mumbai.