A study on tobacco use and its influencing factors among adolescents in a rural area of Jhansi.

Dr. Sachin Mahur; Dr. Santosh Kumar Verma

Volume : VII, Issue : V, May - 2018

A study on tobacco use and its influencing factors among adolescents in a rural area of Jhansi.

Dr. Sachin Mahur, Dr. Santosh Kumar Verma

Abstract :

Background;the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health,killing more than 7 million people a year.It is a major risk factor for various types of chronic diseases such as cancers and other diseases.Adolescents are the most vulnerable population to initiate tobacco use.

Objectives; 1.To study the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents. .To find out the factors influencing the tobacco use among adolescents.

Material and methods; community based cross–sectional study was conducted in selected rural areas of district Jhansi duringOctober 2017 to December 2017 and 102 adolescents aged 10–19 years in selected village were included. A Multistage Random Sampling technique was used to cover the required sample size for the present Study. Data was collected by using pretested semi–structured and analyzed statistically by simple proportions and Chi square test .

Results; our study shows that prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents was 21.5% and it was found significantly (P<0.05) more in males (30.0%) than females (3.1%). Gutkha/panmasa (63.6%) were most commonly used by adolescents .Peer pressure was most influencing factors for initiation of tobacco use .