Tobacco Knowledge, Attitudes & Behavior Among Rural & Urban Residents in India

Audience: Policy makers and educators Key Points: To assess the prevalence of tobacco use knowledge, attitudes and behavior and ascertain any differences among the rural and urban populations of Northern India. A voluntary and anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted in January 2011. Methods: The survey was disseminated to 301 students aged 18 and older at a medium-sized suburban Northern India university (proxy for urban resident sample) and 304 workers aged 18 and older at university construction site (proxy for rural resident sample). It consisted of 48-items. Univariate analyses were conducted. Results: Both samples reported similar positive attitudes and good knowledge of most of the tobacco items. Self-reported tobacco use and behaviors, however, were different between samples. There was a statistically significant difference was seen regarding their noticing of the health warnings on the cigarette/ smokeless tobacco packages (Chi =31.077, p=.000) and the media- newspapers, magazines/ TV/internet (Chi =50.617, p=.000) While 42% rural population agreed that they noticed health warnings on cigarette/ smokeless tobacco packages, nearly 34% of urban population agreed with it(x2 =31.077, p=.000). Similarly, 22% of rural participants had no intention to quit tobacco in next 6 months as compared to 8.3% of urban participants (p=.000). Educational Experience: Besides economic inequality, level of education of the target population should be considered while preparing a plan. Benefits: This study analyses the factors causing differences in oral health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors between urban and rural populations.