Aim: To assess the prevalence of smoking and smokeless tobacco use among 16--19-year-old government and private college student of Bhubaneswar city.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed and data on tobacco usage was collected from 906 students aged 16--19-year old government and private college students of Bhubaneswar city using modified youth tobacco survey (YTS) closed-ended questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to determine the significant differences in the variables of interest.
Results: Out of 906 study subjects, mean age of initiation of use of tobacco product was found to be 14.8 among males and 15.3 among females. The responses of study subjects upon there believe that tobacco companies try to lure young people to use tobacco products, 54.7% males, 45.3% females reported as yes. 63 (9.9%) of students from private college reported using smokeless tobacco whereas 27 (10%) of students from government college used chewing tobacco. The results were statistically significant. A total of 84 (16.9%) males followed by 18 (4.4%) females reported to have ever tried smoking. The results were statistically significant.
Conclusion: It was encouraging to find that during the period of the survey, majority of students did not use tobacco of any form. Regular and systematic education programs catering to teachers, children, and also their parents should be undertaken. Enabling teachers to educate the young impressionable minds regarding lifestyle disorders should be a cornerstone activity in preventing the establishment of lifestyle disorders like tobacco and alcohol use within the community.
Keywords: Smokeless; smoking; tobacco use.