A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AUDIO VISUAL DISPLAY REGARDING ILL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS ON THE AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES OF ADOLESCENT BOYS TOWARDS USING TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN SELECTED SCHOOLS AT INDORE M.P.

Abstract

Tobacco users have become more common and it is a leading cause of incurable disease. More than 5 million people are dying. The annual death will rise to 8 million by 2030. The fourth round of Global Youth Tobacco Survey revealed prevalence of tobacco use among boys was 9.6%. Many of the studies suggested education through media will help the adolescents to be aware of using tobacco products and its ill effects.

Tobacco is a risk factor for six out of eight leading causes of death in the world. More than 80% of deaths due to tobacco use occur in the developing countries, including India. Each year, 0.8–0.9 million Indians die due to tobacco-related diseases. India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world, and 90% of all oral cancers are related to tobacco use. Half of the total cancers among men and 20% of cancers in women are tobacco related. Overall prevalence of tobacco use among men was 57%, while among women it was 10.8%. 36.9% school-going youths (aged 13–15 years) in India had already initiated smoking before the age of 10, and 11.9% were other tobacco products. All these facts point towards an urgent need to plan effective interventions to curb the growing tobacco epidemic.