IJCM_191A: A study of awareness regarding harmful effects of tobacco consumption among an urban population of Raipur

Background:Tobacco consumption has been significantly linked to increased mortality and morbidity. It gives rise to several diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, COPD, asthma, and dental problems as well as aggravates other diseases like TB, asbestosis, heart ailments, etc. It is the need of the hour to increase awareness about the adverse effects of tobacco addiction.Objectives:To study awareness regarding harmful effects of tobacco consumption among an urban population of Raipur.Methodology:Data was collected as part of an ongoing cross-sectional study in June 2023 in the Urban Field Practice area of AIIMS Raipur (Ward 24 and 25). Demographic details including age [40-74 years], gender, education, family type, addiction history, etc. were collected. A semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO STEPS survey and GATS survey was used to collect information on tobacco awareness.Results:Data entry was done in Excel and analyzed in SPSS version 21. Among the 200 participants, 54.5% (109) were female and the rest male. The majority of participants belonged to Hindu religion (96.5%), nuclear family type (50%), and OBC caste (54%). About 10.5% of participants were current smokers, most of them male. Smokeless tobacco consumption like gudakhu, gutkha, and pan was more prevalent than smoking, especially in women (29%). Smokeless tobacco consumption was almost equal in both genders. Awareness improved with an increase in educational status and with younger age categories, which were found to be significant. Only 73% of males and 39.4% of females were aware of the harmful health effects of tobacco consumption.Conclusion:Illiteracy and easy accessibility of tobacco products at cheap prices, especially for smokeless tobacco and lack of awareness has led to extensive consumption of these products and hence, efforts must be made in these directions by various measures, such as policies, bans, taxes and health education.