KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF TOBACCO USE AND ITS CONTROL AMONG TOBACCO CONSUMERS IN SELECTED AREAS

Abstract

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and more than five million people die globally from the effects of tobacco use every year. Every eight seconds someone, somewhere in the world dies as a result of tobacco use related complications. It is reported that, by the year 2030, the death toll is likely to exceed eight million people a year due to Tobacco use [1]. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practice regarding tobacco use and its control among tobacco consumers in selected areas of Hukkeri taluka, Belgaum district. Cross-sectional research design was used for the present study. The data was collected for 20 days, each day 5 subjects were interviewed. Convenient sampling technique was used to select the subjects. The structured interview schedule and 2 point rating scale was used as the main screening instrument. The results showed that the mean percentage of knowledge score was 54.6 and the mean percentage of practice score was 65.45. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and practice of subjects regarding tobacco use and its control (r =0.526).

Keywords

• tobacco use
• tobacco consumers