Publication

Abstract : Tobacco consumption is the primary cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of tobacco smoking and to assess the knowledge and attitude of tobacco usage among a selected urban slum population of Kochi, Kerala Materials and Methods: A community based cross sectional study done was done in a selected urban adult population of Kochi city. 212 individuals were interviewed. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire adapted from Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Data was tabulated using Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results: Of the 212 people interviewed, 61.3% were males; the prevalence of smoking in the general population was found to be 16.5%. Among the smokers, 77% of had the interest to quit smoking. Awareness regarding tobacco use and its ill effects was 78.8% in the study population. Among the factors associated with tobacco use, education below higher secondary was associated with smoking status [OR 2.56 (1.24-5.26), p 0.01]. Conclusion: Despite a reasonable awareness among the study participants, 16.5% of the population were smokers. Constant support through cessation clinics and programmes to 77% of the current smokers who were interested to quit smoking, might bring down the rates further. Efforts are needed at the same time, to prevent people from initiating smoking. Keywords: Tobacco smoking, prevalence, urban slum