Tobacco consumption and awareness of their health hazards amongst lower income group school children in national capital territory of Delhi

Consumption of tobacco is a complex and multidimensional problem faced by the country. It is the main culprit behind oral cancer. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of consumption of tobacco amongst adolescent school children of low-income group in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and to study the perception of the children regarding the health hazards of tobacco. A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 3,422 children in the age group of 10-18 years studying in government schools in NCT of Delhi. About 9.8% of the study children had at least once experimented with any form of tobacco in their lifetime. The proportion of children who were "current users" of tobacco products was 5.4% (boys: 4.6%, Girls: 0.8%). Nearly eighty percent of the study subjects knew that, tobacco consumption is injurious to health. The parents of 59% of the children discussed the harmful effects of tobacco consumption with their children.