Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption Among The Tribal Male Adolescents and Their Family Members: Is There Any Association Between Family Members and The Adolescents?

The frequency of tobacco consumption among the tribal youths is high. The objective of the present study has been aim to the prevalence and pattern of tobacco use, and is there any association between tobacco consumption of family members and tobacco use by adolescents. A cross-sectional study has been conducted into two tribal villages in rural areas of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Data has been collected by interview from 180 adolescent and their respective family members by home visits. The study demonstrates that tribal adolescent boy's comparatively starting smoking with leaving the primary level of education. Bidi was commonly used for smoking, while pan masala and gutka were the preferred smokeless tobacco. Almost all smokers were also using smokeless tobacco. Moreover, the prevalence of tobacco consumption was high in the tribal adolescents compare to their parents.