Prevalence of tobacco consumption among the Northeast population of India

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Background and Objectives: Widespread use of tobacco among Indians has been associated with several lung diseases; however, the exact prevalence of tobacco use, particularly in the northeastern region of India, is not known. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of tobacco use among the northeast population of India. Methodology: Four electronic databases were searched using the appropriate search strategy. A systematic search yielded 15 articles that were included in this review. Out of these, 13 studies were found to be eligible for meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Hoy et al. scale. Statistical analysis was done using the STATA version 16. Results: Data from 453,844 participants, mean age range of 15–60 years, were collected from the northeastern states. The overall pooled prevalence estimate for the tobacco consumption reported was found to be 44.71% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.48%–72.93%). Manipur reported comparatively higher tobacco consumption than the other eastern northeastern states 45.13% (95% CI: 7.26%–72.93%). A higher pooled prevalence was found for the employed (31.10%; 95% CI: 24.83%–83.00%) versus unemployed (26.96%; 95% CI: 22.07%–31.86%), and literates (40.36%; 95% CI: 16.19%–64.54%) versus illiterates (19.87%; 95% CI: 3.95%–35.79%). In addition, smokeless tobacco (29.10%; 95% CI: 9.33%–48.88%) consumption was reportedly higher than that of smoked tobacco (22.96%; 95% CI: 1.74%–44.18%). Gender subgroup analysis showed a higher prevalence in males (28.59%; 95% CI: 24.16%–33.02%) as compared to females (25.77%; 95% CI: 17.68%–33.86%). Conclusion: A higher prevalence of tobacco use among the northeastern region of India, particularly males, the employed class, and illiterate people, suggests a dire need of more effective awareness programs to reduce tobacco consumption.