A Qualitative Study of Perceptions and Practices Related to Areca Nut Use Among Adolescents in Mumbai, India

Areca nut, commonly known as supari, is widely used in India. In addition to tobacco and alcohol, it has been identified as one of the contributory factors for high rates of oral cancer in the country.

This qualitative study explored perceptions and practices around the use of areca nut by conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 61 school-going adolescents in the city of Mumbai, India.

Respondents used low-priced sachets of sweetened, flavored areca nut called supari. They perceived supari as harmless because it was sweet, it had a fresh after-taste as compared to bitter-tasting smokeless tobacco products. How can something sweet be harmful was a common argument offered by respondents. Respondents invariably compared and contrasted areca nut to more harmful and addictive tobacco products; perceiving supari to have milder or inconsequential health effects. Supari use was initiated with friends, a sibling, or a cousin. It was almost always used with friends. Respondents also reported difficulty in refusal to use when offered supari by friends. Parental response to finding out about the child's supari use was often muted in comparison to extreme reactions associated with the child's tobacco use.

Perceptions of low risk or relative harmlessness of the product, social influence, and the features of the product itself influence adolescents' use of areca nut. Although more research on perceptions of risk, with larger samples, is required, these findings are useful for school-based tobacco prevention and cessation programs and health policy-makers.

The study findings have implications for prevention and cessation programs, and policymakers. School-based health education programs should allocate special sessions on areca nut use. Focused mass media communication campaigns describing its harms and association with oral cancer are required for the larger community. As was done for tobacco, Indian policymakers will have to evaluate the marketing, commerce, and distribution of areca nut and create appropriate laws. More research, with larger nationwide samples, is required to examine perceptions of areca nut.