Practices of smokeless tobacco use (SLT) among married women

Background: Smokeless tobacco consumption is a common tradition especially common in south Asian origin. In spite of its global use and the serious health risks linked to it, the issue of using smokeless tobacco has not gained much attention. ⁽¹⁾ Tobacco accounts for around 5 million deaths every year which makes it the second major cause of death worldwide. By 2020, this may reach up to 9 million the majority being in the developing countries.⁽²⁾ Objective: The main objective of the study was to identify the practices of smokeless tobacco use among married women (20-50 years). Materials and method: The study population consisted of 800 women from selected villages of Peranankila Panchayat, Udupi district. Four villages of the Panchayat were selected through simple random sampling technique. Purposive sampling was used to select the samples. Data were collected by administering background proforma and self-reported questionnaire on practices of smokeless tobacco use. Results: Out of the 800 women surveyed, 90 were using smokeless tobacco. Frequency and percentage distribution were used to analyze the practices. Conclusion: Smokeless tobacco use is still prevalent in the society and measures need to be undertaken to disseminate awareness on smokeless tobacco use.