Effect of Tobacco related Cancer Awareness Program on Attitude and Practices about Cancer among Rural Youth of Varanasi, India.

Sachchidanand; C.P Mishra; Alok Kumar

Volume : IX, Issue : VII, July - 2019

Effect of Tobacco related Cancer Awareness Program on Attitude and Practices about Cancer among Rural Youth of Varanasi, India.

Sachchidanand, C. P Mishra, Alok Kumar

Abstract :

Background: Tobacco related diseases are among the mostly discussed public health problems, which kills more than 7 million people worldwide every year. Objective: The study was designed to evaluate the effect of tobacco related cancer awareness program in terms of attitude and practices about cancer among rural youth of Varanasi, India. Materials and methods: A community based intervention study was conducted in the Varanasi district. Total One hundred eighty two youth in the age group of 15– 24 years was selected by multistage sampling procedure. After base line assessment, subjects from two intervention villages were oriented about tobacco related cancer and effect of the same was measured by compå finding for 2 nonintervention village. In order to draw meaningful inferences from results of the baseline and post intervention assessment, intervention and non–intervention groups were compared. Result: Awareness of subjects from non–intervention and intervention groups was similar at the time of basal assessment. At the time of post–intervention assessment after intervention, significant changes, were observed in the opinion of subjects belonging to intervention group in terms of smoking any cigarette at all (87.9% vs. 71.4%), exposure to another person‘s cigarette smoke (61.5% vs. 19.8)), drinking >1 unit of alcohol a day (73.6 vs. 52.7), eating <5 portions of fruits and vegetable a day (50.5% vs. 23.1%), eating red or processed meat one a day or more (52.7% vs. 26.4%), being overweight (53.8% vs. 36.3%) having a close relative with cancer (64.7% vs. 35.2%),infection with human papilloma virus (47.3% vs. 7.7%), hepatitis B (34.1% vs. 3.3%), hepatitis C (49.5 % vs. 7.7%).Conclusion: After intervention there was a significant improvement in attitude and positive changes in practices of rural youth of Varanasi, India regarding Tobacco related Cancer.