Prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption among women of rural Telangana

Abstract

Background: Tobacco kills approximately 1 million people annually in India and is responsible for almost half of all cancers in men and quarter of all cancers in women. Smokeless tobacco (SLT) is one such form that is culturally and socially acceptable by women especially in rural India. The study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption among women, prevalence of exposure to second hand smoke and to determine the factors associated with it.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was done among 190 women in the rural field practice area of department of community medicine of Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal during the period of October 2019 to December 2019. Data was collected using simple random sampling. A semi structured questionnaire was prepared with the help of global adult tobacco survey proforma. The data was analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 20.00.Results: Prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption was 57% and the most common form of tobacco being consumed was tobacco with pan (40.3%). The prevalence of exposure to second hand smoke at home was 61%. The most common reason for initiation was peer pressure. High prevalence of consumption of smokeless tobacco was seen in unemployed and illiterate women.Conclusions: The prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption is higher among women in this study and this indicates the lack of awareness and the need for better strategies to reduce the burden.