Tobacco Use and its Correlates among Youth in a Northern Urban City of India

Introduction Tobacco use is a widespread practice in India and is often considered socially and culturally acceptable especially in Himachal Pradesh. It is related to various health problems (cancers, NCDs etc. ) and a number of international and national agencies have been working together for its control. Adolescents and young adults are assumed to be the most vulnerable age group to practice this behaviour and adopt it in their life style. This study aims to determine tobacco use and its correlates in this section of population in the Shimla city of Himachal Pradesh. Methods A house to house community survey was done to determine tobacco use and other NCDs risk factors using Indian adaptation of WHO STEPs questionnaire developed by ICMR. Multi stage sampling is done to select participants of the age group of 15 to 24 years in the municipal corporation area of City. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft excel and Epi Info-7 software. Results Total 603 participants (308 female and 295 male) were studied.30.51 % (C. I.26.89 34.39) had used tobacco product in any form in last one year.18.08 % (C. I.15.13 21.43) had been exposed to second hand smoke.20.23 % of participants were smoking tobacco products while 3.15 % were using smokeless tobacco products daily. Smoking was found significantly associated with male gender, occupation and educational level. Smoking was associated with concurrent use of alcohol and insufficient physical activities. Conclusion Tobacco use (especially in the form of Smoking as well as Second hand smoke) was found high. Tobacco control programmes therefore, remain important health issues.