Prevalence of chewable smokeless tobacco in Indian women: Secondary data analysis from national family health survey 2005-06

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the nation-wide prevalence of chewable smokeless tobacco consumption among Indian females. Design: Secondary data taken from cross-sectional nationally representative population-based household survey. Subjects: 1,24,385 women aged 15-49 years who were sampled in the National Family Health Survey-3(2005-2006). Prevalence of chewable smokeless tobacco consumption was compared with socio-demographic characters. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of various smokeless tobacco current uses was used as outcome measures. Simple and two-way cross tabulations were the main analytical methods. Results: Of all the female participants, 13,309 (10.7%) used one or another chewing products; 3.3% used Panmasala, 1.8% used gutka and 6.6%used other chewable tobacco products. 12.8% of women used tobacco in some or the other form and 1.7% smokes tobacco. Smokeless tobacco consumption was more common in poor and less educated. The prevalence of tobacco consumption showed variation with types and varied widely between states and geographical location. This reflects a strong association with an individual's sociocultural characteristics. Conclusion : The findings of the study highlight that an agenda to improve the health outcomes among the poor in India must include effective interventions to control tobacco use. The higher use of chewable smokeless tobacco among Indian women is a cause of concern. There is a need for periodical surveys using more consistent definitions of tobacco use and eliciting information on different types of tobacco consumed. Such outcomes will help to frame policies that could curb the increasing use of tobacco in Indian Women.