Abstract

Background: Tobacco usage initiated in adolescence and early adulthood continues throughout adulthood.
Objective: (1) To study the social determinants of “intention to quit” and “quit attempts” among male youth in our field practice area. (2) To explore the reasons for intention to quit.
Materials and Methods: It was an explanatory mixed-method design, where quantitative (Survey - Phase I) method was followed by qualitative (Focus Group Discussion-Phase II) method. Trained interviewer did house-to-house visits and collected data among current tobacco-using male youth in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India. On the basis of the survey results, two focus group discussions were conducted among slum dwelling youth. Result: In logistic regression analysis, the odds of intention to quit significantly rose by 1.26 times with a unit rise in age, and the intention to quit was high among youth belonging to below poverty line status and those having illiterate mothers. The only determinant for “action taken” was the age of the respondent. Focus group discussion (FGD) participants felt that the poor and relatively older youth have more intention to quit due to fear of side effects and their poor financial conditions. Conclusion: The intention to quit increases with the rising age and it was found to be high among youth who were below the poverty line. The action to quit increased with the age. These determinants could be considered for equitable distribution of tobacco control activities in the study area.