Prevalence and pattern of tobacco addiction among auto-rickshaw drivers of NorthCentral India

Introduction: Tobacco addiction is the most widespread addiction in the world. There are nearly 1.3 billion smokers in the world, 80% of them are in the developing countries. According to American Cancer Society, India has 2nd largest population of tobacco users (about 24 crores), next only to China. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and trend towards tobacco use among auto drivers of Gwalior city. Material & Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted with-in 3 months duration by a one-on-one interview among 400 auto-rickshaw drivers of Gwalior city. The study tool was a pre-designed, pre-tested, semistructured questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of tobacco use among auto drivers was 84.25%, while the prevalence of smoking and tobacco chewing were 58.25% and 70.25% respectively. Night shifts and longer waiting hours were associated with increased trend towards tobacco consumption. 38.27% drivers required one dose of tobacco immediately after waking up in the morning while 45.10% required one dose before going to toilet. 69.43% said that their friends had first introduced them to tobacco use. 88.50% knew about various health hazards associated with tobacco consumption. 68.00% drivers had knowledge about law for smoking in public places. Conclusion: Recently certain new replacement products have been introduced in the market which are harmless and can also curb the craving for tobacco. Along with mass advertisements against tobacco products, authorities should focus on strict enforcement of law and promoting research for creating new and harmless replacement products