Tobacco use patterns and predictors among college students in Mangalore, South India: Findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco use is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, particularly in South-East Asia. The tobacco problem in India is probably more complex than in any other country, with a huge consequential burden of tobacco related diseases and deaths. The present study aimed at analyzing the pattern and predictors of tobacco use among college students aged 18–24 years, using the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2063 students, from 30 colleges of Mangalore, South India, who were selected by multistage sampling with probability proportional to size. The tobacco questions used for this study were a validated, recommended subset of key questions from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Data analysis was performed using GATS manuals and SPSS version 24.0. RESULTS: A total of 2063 students participated in the study (738 males, 1325 females). Prevalence of tobacco smoking was 4.8%, which included 9.9% males and 2.1% females. Manufactured cigarettes were the most commonly preferred tobacco product among daily smokers. The overall percentage of smokeless tobacco use was 4.8%, which included 7.4% males and 3.3% females. Logistic regression analysis showed that 71.4% of the participants who noticed anticigarette information on television made an attempt to quit smoking. The odds ratio (OR) of quitting was 4.4 times higher compared to those who did not notice any information on television (p=0.002). In addition, noticing health warnings on cigarette packs strongly influenced an individual to quit smoking (OR=30.09). CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed low prevalence of the use of both smoked and smokeless forms of tobacco, current smoking, and chewing tobacco, among the study population. Generating data in this part of the country on tobacco use and developing tobacco control measures at regular intervals are essential to better understand and develop effective intervention programs.