Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption among Indian Women

Excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco is a serious public health issue. However, consumption among women is an underexplored area, especially in the context of India. This study aims to explore the factors associated with a greater likelihood of Indian women consuming alcohol and tobacco; the inputs can be used to profile women at higher risk of doing so. The study is based on the latest round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), a large-scale and nationally representative dataset. It employs logistic regression to determine factors that are linked to higher odds of Indian women consuming alcohol and tobacco. We found that, while rural women consume more alcohol as compared to their urban counterparts, their consumption of tobacco is lower. Also, less-educated women consume more of both alcohol and tobacco and the same holds true for women whose husbands/partners are less educated. Also, women with alcoholic husbands/partners consume more alcohol. The paper represents an important addition to gender-focused research on the neglected area of alcohol and tobacco consumption among Indian women, and makes an important contribution toward policy formulation for reducing their consumption of these products.