Alocohol and tobacco consumption : Where do we stand?

Background: The epidemic of non communicable diseases has begun its tragic shift towards the developing world. This survey was undertaken to find out prevalence of alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst Armed Forces personnel posted at Mumbai serving in various Ships & Shore establishments. Methods: The survey was a cross sectional descriptive study based on a questionnaire which was answered by 1531 service personnel Results: It was found that the prevalence of alcohol consumption was 55.32% and that of tobacco consumption was 18.61 %. 65.18% individuals were aware that alcohol use is injurious to health and 91.18% felt that tobacco use is injurious to health. Conclusion: Despite the high level of awareness for harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco, the prevalence of consumption was above 50% for alcohol thereby showing that more effort in the form of Behaviour Change Communication is required to be undertaken. This should address issues of hazards pertaining to alcohol consumption: the adverse effect on both the individual and his family leading to loss of man days thus affecting the moral fibre of the Armed Forces