| Summary: | Introduction
Tobacco use is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide,
particularly in South-East Asia. The tobacco problem in India is probably more
complex than in any other country, with a huge consequential burden of tobacco
related diseases and deaths. The present study aimed at analyzing the pattern
and predictors of tobacco use among college students aged 18–24 years, using
the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS).
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2063 students, from 30
colleges of Mangalore, South India, who were selected by multistage sampling
with probability proportional to size. The tobacco questions used for this study
were a validated, recommended subset of key questions from the Global Adult
Tobacco Survey (GATS). Data analysis was performed using GATS manuals and
SPSS version 24.0.
Results
A total of 2063 students participated in the study (738 males, 1325
females). Prevalence of tobacco smoking was 4.8%, which included 9.9% males
and 2.1% females. Manufactured cigarettes were the most commonly preferred
tobacco product among daily smokers. The overall percentage of smokeless
tobacco use was 4.8%, which included 7.4% males and 3.3% females. Logistic
regression analysis showed that 71.4% of the participants who noticed anticigarette
information on television made an attempt to quit smoking. The odds
ratio (OR) of quitting was 4.4 times higher compared to those who did not notice
any information on television (p=0.002). In addition, noticing health warnings on
cigarette packs strongly influenced an individual to quit smoking (OR=30.09).
Conclusions
The study results showed low prevalence of the use of both smoked
and smokeless forms of tobacco, current smoking, and chewing tobacco, among
the study population. Generating data in this part of the country on tobacco use
and developing tobacco control measures at regular intervals are essential to
better understand and develop effective intervention programs.
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