Tobacco use and related factors among pre-university students in a college in Bangalore, India.
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Date
2009-11
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Abstract
Background. Tobacco use imposes a huge burden of
disease in India. Most studies on the use of tobacco among
students in India have focused on secondary school students
with a few studies investigating younger children and university
students. We aimed to ascertain tobacco use among preuniversity
college students in Bangalore.
Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among
300 students of a purposively selected boys-only, pre-university
college in Bangalore. All the students from 4 of 10 randomly
selected classes were enrolled in the study. An anonymous
self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information
on the extent and pattern of tobacco consumption, factors
associated with use/non-use of tobacco products, and awareness
of the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Results. The prevalence of ‘ever use’ of tobacco was
15.7% (95% CI: 11.7–20.3) of which 5.3% (95% CI:
3.1–8.7) were current users of tobacco. The mean (SD) age
of initiation of tobacco use was 14.7 (2.05) years; 78.3% of
users were aware that tobacco was harmful. The most common
reasons by ever users to start using tobacco included peer
pressure, having fun/enjoyment, and curiosity. ‘Never users’
abstained from usage because of awareness of the negative
health implications of tobacco use, a dislike for tobacco
products, and the negative social implications of tobacco use.
Conclusion. Interventions need to be designed to reduce
the use of tobacco among students. Such interventions should raise awareness on the social and economic implications of the use of tobacco, equip students to overcome peer influence and provide counselling to quit using tobacco.
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Bhojani U M, Chander S J, Devadasan N. Tobacco use and related factors among pre-university students in a college in Bangalore, India. National Medical Journal of India. 2009 Nov-Dec; 22(6): 294-297.