Tobacco use and related factors among pre-university students in a college in Bangalore, India

Background. Tobacco use imposes a huge burden disease in India. Most studies on the use of tobacco students in India have focused on secondary school with a few studies investigating younger children and students. We aimed to ascertain tobacco use among university college students in Bangalore. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted 300 students of a purposively selected boys-only, college in Bangalore. All the students from 4 of 10 selected classes were enrolled in the study. An self-administered questionnaire was used to collect on the extent and pattern of tobacco consumption, associated with use/non-use of tobacco products, and of the harmful effects of tobacco use. Results. The prevalence of 'ever use' of tobacco 15.7% (95% CI: 11.7-20.3) of which 5.3% (95% 3.1-8.7) were current users of tobacco. The mean (SD) of initiation of tobacco use was 14.7 (2.05) years; 78.3% users were aware that tobacco was harmful. The most reasons by ever users to start using tobacco included pressure, having fun/enjoyment, and curiosity. 'Never abstained from usage because of awareness of the health implications of tobacco use, a dislike for products, and the negative social implications of tobacco Conclusion. Interventions need to be designed to the use of tobacco among students. Such interventions raise awareness on the social and economic implications of use of tobacco, equip students to overcome peer influence an provide counselling to quit using tobacco.