Prevalence of cigarette smoking and its predictors among school going adolescents of North India

BACKGROUND: Cigarettes smoking is a common mode of consuming tobacco in India. This habit usually starts in adolescence and tracks across the life course. Interventions like building decision making skills and resisting negative influences are effective in reducing the initiation and level of tobacco use. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of adolescent current cigarette smoking behavior and to investigate the individual and social factors, which influence them both to and not to smoke. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was carried out among school going adolescents in Shimla town of North India. After obtaining their written informed consent, a questionnaire was administered. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 11.8%. The binary logistic regression model revealed that parents’ and peers’ smoking behavior influence adolescent smoking behavior. Individual self-harm tendency also significantly predicted cigarette smoking behavior. Parental active participation in keeping a track of their children's free time activities predicted to protect adolescents from taking this habit. CONCLUSION: Our research lends support to the need for intervention on restricting adolescents from taking up this habit and becoming another tobacco industries’ addicted customer. Parents who smoke should quit this habit, which will not only restore their own health, but also protect their children. All parents should be counseled to carefully observe their children's free time activities.