| Summary: | Background
Growing
influence of tobacco among youth in developing countries has necessitated
evaluation of social and behavioral factors responsible for the phenomenon. Mangalore
taluk is a reputed health care center in
Karnataka state, India, with high levels of urbanization and literacy. This
investigation evaluated social and behavioral determinants of tobacco use among
children of public and private high schools in urban and rural areas of
Mangalore taluk.
Methods
Study
participants were enrollees of ten high schools selected by stratified
cluster sampling. After
obtaining ethical clearance, permission from concerned authorities and assent
from participants, a
pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on current use, reason for
initiation, funding for habit, source of tobacco, difficulty in procurement,
changes in lifestyle and health, knowledge about ill-effects, etc. Data were analyzed using the Chi squared test.
Results
Current
tobacco use was prevalent among 12.8% of the 1340
participants aged between 11-18 years. Evaluation of responses revealed no
significant differences based on type of school or location; however, gender differences among participants were
pronounced. Among users, girls reported higher use of smokeless tobacco, higher
frequency of daily use, and use by family members as primary reason for
initiation into habit. A significant number of users had
initiated use in the past year, 35.7% stated use by family as reason for
initiation, a majority reported funding of habit by allowances from family, and
73.7% reported no difficulty in procurement from vendors near public facilities. While 88.9% considered the habit dangerous and 31.6%
wanted to stop use, 20% reported an increased self-esteem. Among non-users, 84.1%
reported availability of tobacco for use. Among
both categories, predominant source of knowledge on ill-effects of use was the print
media.
Conclusions
Rising
tobacco consumption among girls and easy availability of tobacco for use among
adolescents are a cause for concern.
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