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A cross-sectional study to assess factors that determine tobacco habit initialization and cessation and oral cancer awareness among general population of Vikarabad District, Telangana
Hariprasad Gone1, Nishath Sayed Abdul2, Manish Pisarla3, Karuparty Pavan Kumar4, Ganesh Kulkarni5, Rithesh Kumar Audurthi1
1 Department of Public Health Dentistry, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
2 Department of OMFS and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Oral Pathology, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
3 Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Meghana Institute of Dental Sciences, Nizamabad, Telangana, India
4 Department of Public Health Dentistry, Sri Sai College of Dental Surgery, Vikarabad, Telangana, India
5 Department of Oral Pathology, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Scieces, Jeedimetla, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Correspondence Address:
Ganesh Kulkarni
Department of Oral Pathology, Malla Reddy Institute of Dental Scieces, Jeedimetla, Hyderabad, Telangana
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_312_21
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Aims: The aim of the study was to assess factors that determine tobacco habit initialization and cessation and oral cancer awareness among the general population of Vikarabad district, Telangana. Materials and Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional study conducted among the general population of the Vikarabad district. All tobacco users satisfying inclusion criteria of age 18–40 years and at least 1 year of tobacco usage were included in the study. Multistage random sampling was followed to select tobacco users and structured, pretested questionnaires were distributed. The populations mean age was 30 years with majority being rural residents and men contributing the majority of the study population. Results: The mean age at which a person begins to smoke was 20.4 ± 5.7 years among the general population. Peer influence (77%) was reported as one of the major reasons, and habit formation was found to be the major factor (55.6%) for continuing tobacco and also work stress (17%) and relaxation (17%). The primary reason for quitting was fear or awareness of the adverse effects of tobacco. Self-abstinence was reported as a predominant method that they followed to quit tobacco habit during the past year, while 16.3% reported that they did not give it a try. About 58.6% of participants were advised by a health-care provider to quit tobacco, respectively. A major proportion of tobacco users (71%) knew that tobacco causes oral cancer. Half of the study population is unaware of oral cancer's early symptoms, noncontagious progression, lifestyle modification, and early treatment have a good prognosis. Conclusion: Findings of the study highlight the factors to be considered in framing effective antitobacco policies applicable to the rural population.
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