Tobacco Use Among Adolescent Students and the Influence of Role Models

BACKGROUND: Seventy per cent of premature deaths among adults are due to behavioral patterns that emerge in adolescence, including smoking. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescent students in South Delhi and its epidemiological correlates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Three schools and two colleges of South Delhi were chosen. There were 550 adolescent students aged 14-19. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical analysis was done using proportions, the chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 88 (16.0%) students reported having ever tried cigarette or bidi smoking. The prevalence of current smoking was 7.1%. Exactly 10% (55) of the students reported having ever used smokeless forms of tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco use overall was found to be 20.9%, and was significantly higher (P=0.016) among the males than the females. Tobacco use was found to be significantly associated with having seen a brother/sister smoke (OR 5.15), best friend smoke (OR 2.92), and belonging to a nuclear family (OR 1.96). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco use is still an important risk behavior among adolescent students. This study found a strong association of tobacco use by the adolescents with their having seen various role models ever smoking.