Tobacco abuse among school going adolescents in a rural area of West Bengal, India.
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Date
2012-10
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Abstract
Adolescents are vulnerable targets of tobacco industry with all consequences of usage. Studies reveal that tobacco abuse is rising in this age group in India. A cross sectional survey was carried out in two coeducational high schools of Anandanagar village of Singur block, Hooghly district, West Bengal among 276 students of VIII-IX standard to study the knowledge and abuse of tobacco and to find out influencing socio-demographic factors. Knowledge score was higher in females, students from nuclear families, and those with literate parents. Low prevalence of tobacco intake was obtained among the students, with 9.8% reported having ever used smokeless tobacco and 4.3% ever smoked. Tobacco intake was higher among those with a history of parental tobacco intake. Continued information education and communication (IEC) activities should be conducted by the school authorities, with involvement of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and parents for primary prevention.
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Keywords
Adolescents, Smoking, Smokeless tobacco, Tobacco
Citation
Mukherjee Anindya, Sinha Abhik, Taraphdar Pranita, Basu Gandhari, Chakrabarty Debadatta. Tobacco abuse among school going adolescents in a rural area of West Bengal, India. Indian Journal of Public Health. 2012 Oct-Dec; 56(4): 286-289.