Habits and beliefs pertaining to tobacco among undergraduates of medical college in the state of Uttarakhand.

ABSTRACT

Background: Tobacco surveillance among medical students offers an opportunity to assess the preparedness for tobacco control among future healthcare professionals in India. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of tobacco in the undergraduate medical students and to assess the factors influencing medical students to indulge in tobacco use. Objective: To assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduate students and to assess the attitude and awareness towards participating in tobacco cessation. Material and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduate students of Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Dehradun (Uttarakhand State) was conducted from January 2010 to January 2011. A pre-designed structured questionnaire was used to study various correlates of the tobacco use. Data was collected and analysed. Global Health Professional Students Survey (GHPSS), questionnaire given by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, USA, which is a standard pre-tested questionnaire for assessing prevalence of tobacco use among health care professionals around the world was used. Results: Overall, 386 of 400 eligible students (97%) participated in the survey. The mean age and standard deviation of the study group was 21.47 ± 3.70 years. The rates of smoking among male medical and female medical students were 38.6% and 6.5%, respectively (p < 0.001). A 6-times higher tobacco use was found among male medical students as compared to females. Out of the 386 participants, current tobacco use (last 30 days) was reported by 11.1% of students. About 21.7% of students had never used tobacco. More than 80% favoured a ban on tobacco sales to adolescents, tobacco advertising, and tobacco use in public places. Over 90% reported interest in further training in tobacco control. There was a familial aggregation of the use of tobacco. The factor initiating the use of tobacco was peer pressure in most of the cases. Conclusion: This study reflects an alarming situation and demands urgent measures to be adopted by health professionals, who happen to be health promoters and health role models for the society.