Knowledge, attitude and practice of tobacco usage among adult power-loom workers living in Tamil Nadu, India: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Among preventable deaths, tobacco accounts the leading cause globally. Tobacco is harmful, regardless of how it is consumed. Annually, more than eight million people die because of tobacco. In 2017, 13% of the global death toll was attributed to primary smoking, and an additional, 2% was related to second-hand smoke. On average, 2500 peoples globally, starts smoking cigarette below the age of 18. Among Indian adults, 19% of men and 2% of women are smokers. In 2011, more than $6.7 billion US dollars were spent on treating tobacco-related health conditions in India. Nearly 31.0% of men and 9.3% of women were using either smoking tobacco or Smokeless tobacco (SLT) among overall adults in Tamil Nadu. From 2010 to 2017, the prevalence of tobacco use in Tamil Nadu increased by 3.8%, reaching 20.0% in 2017. In India, power loom workers, when compared with the general population, have even higher prevalence of tobacco use. Study aims and research questions: The current study aims to measure the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards tobacco use among power loom workers in Tamil Nadu. The specific research questions include: 1. What is the level of KAP of tobacco use among power loom workers in Tamil Nadu, India? 2. Is there an association between knowledge and education level among power loom workers? 3. Is there an association between tobacco use (practice) and the demographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, working hours, working days, marital status, average monthly income, and education level)? 4. Is there an association between knowledge and tobacco use (practice) among power loom workers? 5. Is there an association between attitude and tobacco use (practice) among power loom workers?