Study of Prevalence and Pattern of Tobacco Consumption and Association of Nicotine Dependence with Sociodemographic Profile in Industrial Employees and Their Families
Akhilesh Jain, Shyam Sunder, Richh Pal Meena, Chandra Prakash, Shabd Prakash, Manish Kumar GoyalAbstract
Background:
Tobacco has been regarded as the most commonly and widely used psychoactive substance. Nicotine in tobacco is primarily responsible for dependence. In India, as per Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2, almost 28.6% of the population uses tobacco. As per the World Health Organization fact sheet 2023, more than 8 million people die each year because of tobacco. Higher consumption of tobacco has been reported among industrial workers.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess the pattern, prevalence, and severity of nicotine use among industrial employees. The study also explored the association between sociodemographic profile and severity of nicotine use.
Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional observational study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. A total of 2500 participants were recruited, including both patients and their caregivers, selected by a consecutive sampling method. A semi-structured pro forma for sociodemographic details and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence to assess the level of dependence were used. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.
Results:
A large portion of participants exhibited high (40.26%) or very high (21.80%) dependence. Participants who started consumption at an earlier age (≤20 years) had higher dependence. Similarly, male, married participants, illiterate individuals, and individuals with comparatively higher personal and family income reported to have more severe dependence.
Conclusion:
Targeted public health interventions must address these sociodemographic such as like age, gender, marital status, education, and income to effectively reduce tobacco addiction. Future efforts to reduce nicotine dependence should focus on the most vulnerable groups, particularly younger people and those with lower educational and higher income levels.