| Summary: | Background
India is one of the world's largest producers
and consumers of tobacco. Smoking is
rare among Indian women, but research shows that Indian women's use of
smokeless tobacco products is increasing, with negative consequences on reproductive
health. In
India, smokeless tobacco consumption is highest in the labor classes and among
those from a low socioeconomic status, less educated or illiterate, and the
poor and marginalized groups. This workers lack proper
knowledge and risk associated with the use of smokeless tobacco. These women consume cheap tobaccos that have negative
impact on both their general and reproductive health. Therefore,
there is need to understand the pattern of tobacco use, age of initiation of
habit, reason for initiation, frequency of consumption in a vulnerable population, i.e. garment worker
Methods
Mixed method approach
has chosen. A sample of 150 female garment workers were chosen in Mumbai partly
by random and partly by snowball sampling. Ten in-depth interviews conducted
using interview guideline. Bivariate analysis carried out on quantitative data.
Results
Total 150 adolescent
girls and women garment worker were included in the study. The average age of
the participant is about 23.04 years with SD ±2 years. No women in our study reported smoking cigarettes. The estimated
prevalence of SLT use in this population of urban, low-income, married women is high. Of these, more than one third
reported use of more than one SLT daily. Women reported the use of five
main types of smokeless tobacco: pan with tobacco, mishri, gutkha, chewed tobacco.
Conclusions
It is clear from the study
that tobacco consumption is highly prevalent among garment workers. Immediate intervention programs
warranted to reduce the future burden of tobacco use-related morbidity among
these workers who are exposed to the high pollution levels in garment factories.
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