More young women in the country are engaged in various forms of smoking on a daily basis than their male counterparts, a new survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed on the back of the rise in cancer, heart and lung-related diseases in recent times.

It says, while traditional ciga­rette smoking may be on the low, 'Shisha,' which is a heated tobacco product smoked through a water pipe, was rife particularly among persons 18 to 29 years, across the country. "More than half of current tobacco smokers report smoking on a daily basis.

Among daily  smokers, 73.6 per cent smoked manufactured cigarette with indi­viduals consuming three sticks of manufactured cigarettes per day on the average.

Among daily smokers, young­er persons began smoking at an earlier age compared to their older counterparts.