PhilCare Study: Young Pinoys most ‘behaved’ in smoking, drinking alcohol

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MANILA — A fresh set of findings revealed by leading healthcare provider PhilCare says that younger Filipinos – those aged 29 and below – are smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol at the least compared to other age groups in the country.

The findings, which are part of the PhilCare Wellness Index, said that, on average, Filipinos have 10.13 sticks per day and consume up 6.36 bottles of beer or glasses of alcohol per week.

Quite surprisingly, younger Filipinos are the most “behaved” compared to their counterparts, registering only 5.9 sticks a day and 9.57 of alcohol a week.

Medical experts at PhilCare theorized that younger people’s sense of practicality seems to be dissuading them from smoking and drinking alcohol.

“Perhaps, vices like smoking and drinking alcohol have become too expensive for younger Filipino adults. They are now more responsible with regards to their activities,” said Dr. Gerard Supangan, PhilCare resident pulmonologist.

He also said younger Filipinos have learned to preoccupy themselves with other activities, lessening the need for them to smoke and drink alcohol.

“Young generation today have found other forms of vices that satisfy their needs like online games,” Supangan added.

He also said that young adults growing less interested in these usual vices are proof that smoking and alcohol cessation campaigns both from government and private sectors are working.

However, Dr. Supangan warned that the lower consumption of cigarettes and alcohol among younger Filipinos should not mean that efforts to dissuade them from vices should also wane down.

“The results of this study on vices don’t mean that young generations are safe. In fact, as the study said, the older they get, the more Filipinos become addicted to smoking and alcohol,” Supangan said.

But in the case of 40 to 49 year old Filipino adults, smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol are more prevalent as they finish up an average of 10.35 sticks a day and 6.62 units of alcohol a week.

Filipinos in their 30’s also registered above the national mean for smoking and alcohol intake, as they average 10.29 sticks per day and 6.51 units of alcohol a week.

The need for alcohol seems to taper off when Filipinos reach their 50’s, as those in the age group and above only typically consume 6.32 units of alcohol a week. However, they still smoke a lot, an average of 10.32 a day.

These findings on cigarettes and alcohol intake are part of the PhilCare Wellness Index, which PhilCare developed to address the behavior of Filipinos when it comes to their health.

PhilCare Wellness Index is the pioneer wellness index in the Philippines that has made it apparent that there are contradictions with how Filipinos perceive what is healthy and how they pursue health. Conducted in 2014, the study interviewed 1,200 respondents from Metro Manila and key cities in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The study is patterned after similar indices in New Zealand, Canada, USA, and Australia.