Self-reported tobacco use, knowledge on tobacco legislation and tobacco hazards among adolescents in rural Kerala State

Context: Tobacco consumption initiated during the adolescent period is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of fatal diseases in adulthood. Information on tobacco use and awareness regarding tobacco legislation and hazards among adolescents in rural Kerala is limited. Aims: To assess the prevalen...

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Veröffentlicht in:Indian journal of dental research 2011-03, Vol.22 (2), p.195-199
Hauptverfasser: Jayakrishnan, Radhakrishnan, Geetha, Seema, Binukumar, Bhaskarapillai, Sreekumar, Lekshmi, Kamala
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Context: Tobacco consumption initiated during the adolescent period is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of fatal diseases in adulthood. Information on tobacco use and awareness regarding tobacco legislation and hazards among adolescents in rural Kerala is limited. Aims: To assess the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescent students in a rural district in Kerala state and to understand the extent of awareness about the prominent legislative measures against tobacco and tobacco hazards. Materials and Methods: Data on awareness regarding health hazards due to tobacco use and legislation against tobacco consumption were collected from students of 15 randomly selected high schools in an educational sub-district in Kerala, using a cross-sectional study design. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test statistics were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 1473 students participated in the study, of which 79% were males (mean age 15.4 years, SD 1.5). The overall prevalence of 'current tobacco users' was 8%. A significant association between age and tobacco use was noted among tobacco habitues (P
ISSN:0970-9290
1998-3603
DOI:10.4103/0970-9290.84280