Tobacco usage among adolescents in Shivamogga. A cross-sectional study

Understanding tobacco usage among adolescents is pivotal for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3. Tending to the mental well-being of teenagers plays a crucial role in fostering overall health and contributes to shaping a generation of mentally resilient adults, ultimately leading to a healthier society. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 700 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years in Shivamogga, with 350 participants each in rural and urban areas to study tobacco usage among adolescents using a pre tested questionnaire adapted from the WHO Global Schoolbased Student Health Survey (GSHS) which was administered via Google Forms to collect data on tobacco use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21, with descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests applied to assess associations Results. Smoking prevalence was 9.1% in urban and 11.1% in rural adolescents. Smokeless tobacco use was reported by 7.7% in urban and 9.2% in rural areas. Male adolescents were significantly more likely to smoke (20.3% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001) and to hold favourable attitudes toward smoking compared to females (6.4% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001). Urban adolescents were more frequently exposed to media portrayals of smoking (40.6% vs. 18.3%, p<0.001), whereas parental smoking was slightly higher in rural areas (16.3% vs. 13.4%). Conclusion. We observed that a significant proportion of adolescents, particularly in rural areas, engage in smoking and smokeless tobacco use, which aligns with national and international data on adolescent tobacco use trends.