Decision-making process for tobacco consumption by undergraduate tobacco consumers in select colleges in Mizoram

Abstract

High prevalence of tobacco consumption is a major public health challenge in the state of Mizoram. The undergraduate students in Mizoram are vulnerable to tobacco consumption and its related harmful consequences. The objective of the study is to understand the specific decision-making process adopted for tobacco consumption by undergraduate students in Mizoram. The study incorporated information obtained by analysing primary data collected from a selected sample of undergraduate students from two colleges in Mizoram. The decision-making process for tobacco consumption has been explained using relevant theoretical models in consumer behaviour. The tobacco consumption decision-making process highlights the roles of external influences like tobacco marketing and socio-cultural environment, psychological factors and experiences regarding decision-making and post-purchase behaviour of the respondents. It has been also explained how general positive attitudes and subjective norms towards tobacco consumption leads to positive intentions and subsequently manifested in the form of tobacco consumption by the respondents. The specific knowledge about this consumer decision-making process is helpful for understanding the determinants for tobacco consumption and its evaluation by undergraduate tobacco consumers and can be utilized to improve social marketing strategies for targeted tobacco control measures in Mizoram.