To Assess the Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practice of Tobacco Use among Stone Crusher Workers of Jaipur City

Background:Despite various initiatives, tobacco is still the largest global epidemic. The prevalence of tobacco use among stone crusher workers is very high because of their working pattern and lack of knowledge regarding the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.Objective:The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practice of tobacco use among stone crusher workers of Jaipur city.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional community-based study was done on 250 stone crusher workers in and around Jaipur city selected by stratified cluster random sampling from 130 stone crusher plants in which each area was used as strata and stone crushers were selected randomly. They were assessed using predesigned and pretested questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS (19) statistical software.Results:Majority (98%) were tobacco users, out of which 68.40% consumed smokeless tobacco daily and 67.2% consumed smoke tobacco on a daily basis. Intention to quit the habit of tobacco among the stone crusher workers was 74.4%. Knowledge regarding health consequences of tobacco consumption among the workers was 42%, out of which 28% knew that tobacco causes heart attack and 22% knew regarding respiratory problems due to tobacco consumption. Opinion regarding introducing tobacco warning sign was found to be 34.4%.Conclusions:Tobacco use is an important public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries like India workers in the stone crusher plant have a very high prevalence. Specific counseling and intervention programs are needed to reduce the burden of tobacco use-related morbidity among these workers.