Prevalence and Determinants of Tobacco Use Among Adults in an Urban Community of Imphal West, Manipur

Abstract

Tobacco use is a global pandemic and is the leading cause of preventable death. Most of the deaths are occurring in the low and middle income countries. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among adults in an urban community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted using face to face interviews on 403 individuals aged 18 years and above residing in an urban community of Imphal West, Manipur. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test was used for analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of ever use of tobacco use was 66.3% and of which 95.5% were current users. Tobacco was used predominantly in smokeless form (zarda pan, khaini, gutkha) by 85% of the users. Smoked tobacco was used only by 15% of the users. The commonest influencing factor for tobacco use was peer pressure. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of tobacco use in this community was high. There is a need to develop effective health education and multifactorial tobacco quitting strategies with focus on help and support for those who wish to quit tobacco.