Study on Consumption Patterns of Tobacco Among College Students in Kolkata

STUDY ON CONSUMPTION PATTERNS OF TOBACCO AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN KOLKATA[pic 1]

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INDEX

ABSTRACT

Background: Tobacco surveillance among college students offers an opportunity to assess the preparedness for tobacco control among future professionals in India. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of tobacco in the undergraduate students and to assess the factors influencing undergraduate students to indulge in tobacco use.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to understand and analyze the prevalence, consumption patterns and correlates of tobacco use among college students in Kolkata and to think of preventive strategies which could be implemented on the basis of the above analysis.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduate students studying in various colleges of Kolkata was conducted from January 2018 to March 2018. A well-structured questionnaire was used to study various correlates of the tobacco use. Data was collected and analyzed. 

Results: Overall, 100 students (Males: 53%; Females: 47%) participated in the survey. The mean age of the students was 20.37 years (S.D. ± 0.621) and the age range was 17-23 years.  Out of the 100 participants, current tobacco use (last 7 days) was reported by 32.4% of students. About 44.1% of students had never used tobacco. More than 70% favored a ban on tobacco sales to adolescents, tobacco advertising, and tobacco use in public places. The factor initiating the use of tobacco was peer pressure in most of the cases.

Conclusion: This study reflects an alarming situation and demands urgent measures to be adopted by health professionals, who happen to be health promoters and health role models for the society. 

INTRODUCTION

Abuse of drugs is one of the biggest curses that modern society has come across. It is not confined to any one country or region alone, but has widely afflicted the globe. Today, no part of the world is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. With a turnover of around $500 billion, it is the third largest business in the world next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other, such as heroin, smack, ganja, affeem, bhang, tobacco, etc.

Of the myriad of drugs abused, the most widely distributed and commonly used drug in the world is ‘Tobacco’.  Many social, economic and political factors have contributed to the global spread of tobacco consumption. The fast changing social milieus, social sanctions and other factors are mainly contributing to this proliferation and has posed serious challenge to individuals, families, societies and nations.

According to World Health Organization (2017), globally, coronary heart diseases result in around 7.3 million death annually, along with respiratory diseases (3.1 million) and lung cancers (1.6 million). Other worth mentioning health problem is the oral cancer which is very common in Indian population due to widespread habit of chewing tobacco. WHO estimates that India ranks 1st globally in death tally due to oral cancers. The health hazards due to tobacco consumption are escalating and there’s an urgent need to address this issue. Efforts are already being done in the form of advertisements to avoid tobacco but had they been enough, results would have been different.

The current data shows that while the smoking trends in men reduced between 1993 and 2009 in India, the trends in females more than doubled from 1.4% to 2.9%, during the same period. In India, tobacco kills about 8 to 10 lakh people each year and many of these deaths occur in people who are very young. Currently, about one-fifth of all worldwide deaths attributed to tobacco occur in India. More than 800,000 people die and 12 million people become ill as a result of tobacco use each year in India as per WHO projection. We will have the highest rate of rise in tobacco-related deaths during the period 2020 - 2030 compared to all other countries/regions.

Tobacco use in children and adolescents is reaching pandemic levels. The World Bank has reported that nearly 82,000-99,000 children and adolescents all over the world begin smoking every day. Among the youth, students are particularly involved due to increasing academic pressures and uncertain career. Encouragement from peer group, the lure of popularity, and easy availability of tobacco in different forms makes teenagers easy prey. In India, approximately 5,500 children and adolescents start using tobacco products daily, some as young as 10 years of age.