Tobacco usage among adolescents in Shivamogga. A cross-sectional study

Understanding tobacco usage among adolescents is pivotal for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3. Tending to the mental well-being of teenagers plays a crucial role in fostering overall health and contributes to shaping a generation of mentally resilient adults, ultimately leading to a healthier society.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 700 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years in Shivamogga, with 350 participants each in rural and urban areas to study tobacco usage among adolescents using a pre tested questionnaire adapted from the WHO Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) which was administered via Google Forms to collect data on tobacco use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21, with descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests applied to assess associations.

Smoking prevalence was 9.1% in urban and 11.1% in rural adolescents. Smokeless tobacco use was reported by 7.7% in urban and 9.2% in rural areas. Male adolescents were significantly more likely to smoke (20.3% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001) and to hold favourable attitudes toward smoking compared to females (6.4% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001). Urban adolescents were more frequently exposed to media portrayals of smoking (40.6% vs. 18.3%, p<0.001), whereas parental smoking was slightly higher in rural areas (16.3% vs. 13.4%).

We observed that a significant proportion of adolescents, particularly in rural areas, engage in smoking and smokeless tobacco use, which aligns with national and international data on adolescent tobacco use trends.