Abstract

Background: Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) represented that the prevalence of tobacco by adolescents was around 19% in Gujarat. It shows the alarming statistics of tobacco use by adolescents.
Objective: (1) To study the sociodemographic profile of students (from fifth to eighth standards), (2) to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding tobacco consumption among them, (3) to study the prevalence of tobacco consumption among them, (4) to study the association between tobacco consumption and other variables and (5) to impart them health education regarding the hazards of tobacco.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done by multistage sampling method from February 2013 to December 2014 after obtaining ethical consideration from the district education officer (DEO) and principals of the schools. According to the 14.6% prevalence of GYTS, the sample size was calculated, and 2,842 students from fifth to eighth standards from 18 schools of six zones of Ahmedabad were enrolled and studied using a predesigned, pretested, structured questionnaire. Health education session was organized by using audiovisual aids regarding the harmful effects of tobacco. The study was conducted, and data were analyzed by using appropriate statistical software. Result: Of the 2,842 students, 69.1% of them were aware that tobacco is hazardous to health and 26.3% students knew that passive smoking is harmful. One-fourth of them were aware about antitobacco messages. Regarding attitude, more than one-third of the students believed that tobacco consumption makes one smart and helps in making a number of friends. If tobacco was offered free of cost, 14.5% were ready to use. Regarding their practices, the prevalence of tobacco use was 12.2%. The mean age of initiation was 11.66 ± 1.89 years. The mean number of pouches consumed per week was 1.8 ± 1.65. About 35% students attempted to quit tobacco in the last 1 year and 47% were unable to quit. Conclusion: Tobacco use is an important risk behavior among adolescents. Peer pressure was the most predominant risk factor for tobacco consumption.