Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Chewing Gutka, Areca Nut, Snuff and Tobacco Smoking Among the Young Population in the Northern India Population

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of chewing gutka, areca nut, snuff and tobacco smoking among the young population in the Northern India Population between the age of 15 to 22 years. METHODS: The study was approved by the ethical committee. A total of 10 school and colleges located in the rural and urban areas was selected. A total of 1500 young individuals aged between 15 to 22 years were selected. A self-administered questionnaire was designed comprised of 14 closed ended questions about Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards consumption of areca nut, gutka and tobacco smoking that were filled by the participants. Descriptive statistics were obtained and mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentages were calculated. Data was analyzed by using SPSS. RESULT: A total of 1050 out of 1500 students responded to the questionnaire. A total of 227 subjects agreed that they are consuming the tobacco. Out of this, 196 (86.34%) were boys and 31 (13.65%) were girls who agreed in consumption of tobacco product. Out of 196, 150 boys (76.5%) practices the habit of smoking 1 -5 times a day and 46 (23.4%) practice the habit of chewing areca nut and gutkha 1 - 5 times a day. Out of 31 girls, 25 girls (80.6%) practices the habit of smoking 1 -5 times a day and 6 (19.4%) practice the habit of chewing areca nut and gutkha 1 - 5 times a day. Out of 740 subjects, 530 were boys and 210 girls have full knowledge of deleterious long term effects of tobacco consumption. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that young population of North India lack Knowledge, Attitude and Practice regarding consumption of areca nut, gutka and tobacco smoking. Here is an urgent need to take effective steps, especially on launching community awareness programs for the school children and public to educate them about the consequences of tobacco use, and on assessing their effectiveness in curbing the problem.