Consumption pattern of tobacco products by rural youth of Varanasi

Sachchidanand; C.P Mishra; Alok Kumar; Pooja Singh; Rajani Vishal

Volume : VI, Issue : VII, July - 2017

Consumption pattern of tobacco products by rural youth of Varanasi

Sachchidanand , C. P Mishra, Alok Kumar, Pooja Singh, Rajani Vishal

Abstract :

BACKGROUND In present era youth are the most exposed population to initiate tobacco use. Now it is well established that most of the adult users of tobacco start tobacco use in childhood or adolescence. In India currently there has been a rapid increase in use of smokeless tobacco products, which is alarming sign for the health planner. Objectives: To find out extent and pattern of tobacco consumption in rural youth. Methods: Community based cross sectional study was done on rural youth from 15–24 years of Varanasi. Consumption of tobacco products by rural youth was elicited by interviewing them using predesigned and pretested proforma. Results: Trial/ experimentation with Cigarettes / Bidi, tobacco products other than Cigarette/ Bidi and experimentation of any form of smokeless tobacco products were done by 18.1%,7.1%, 20.9% respectively. Out of 27 male subjects having trial / experimentation with cigarettes / Bidi smoking, 55.6% and 29.6% did so at the age of ≥16 years and 14–15, respectively. Out of 6 female subjects 4 (66.7%) and 2 (33.3%) had trial/ experimentation with cigarette / Bidi before 16 and ≥16 years, respectively. In case of 49.5% subjects of age of trial of cigarette/ Bidi smoking was < 16 years. CONCULSION: Consumption of tobacco products in either form has been considerable in rural youth and emerges to be potential threat for non communicable diseases.