Prevalence of Physical Nicotine Dependence and its Determinants among Tobacco users in the Rural Field Practice Area of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Background: Tobacco is the major cause of preventable death globally, which kills one person prematurely every six seconds. In India, around 46.9% of men and women aged 15 years and above use any kind of tobacco, according to NFHS-5. Tobacco use for longer duration with increased frequency is often addictive. Nicotine in tobacco is often associated with dependence, which is recognized as a public health menace and the single most significant factor for premature death. Hence, assessment of nicotine dependence among tobacco users is essential to implement tobacco control measures effectively. To estimate the prevalence of nicotine dependence among tobacco users and to study the factors associated with nicotine dependence among those tobacco users in a rural area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. Material and Methods: A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 375 tobacco users aged 18 years and above residing permanently in the rural field practice area of the Rural Health and Training Centre (RHTC) attached to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tamil Nadu. The study has been conducted for 6 months. A systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. Data was collected by conducting personal interviews using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 23. Result: About 48.7% of the study participants had high dependence, 25% had moderate dependence, and 26.3% had low physical dependence on nicotine. The duration of tobacco use (P < 0.0000) and age of initiation of tobacco use (mean age was 28 ± 7.1 years) (P < 0.0001) was found as a significant risk indicator for nicotine dependence. Conclusion: The high nicotine dependence (48.7%) among the study participants is quite alarming and warrants more visible and aggressive anti-tobacco campaigns and targeted preventive strategies.