A cross-sectional study on tobacco use prevalence and reasons for its use among male youth in a resettlement colony of Delhi

Introduction: It is estimated that 5,500 adolescents started using tobacco every day in India. The prevention of tobacco use in young Indians appears to be one of the largest opportunities for controlling this ever-growing epidemic. In India, like in other developing countries, the most susceptible time for initiation of tobacco is during youth, that is in the age group of 15–24 years. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kalyanpuri, a resettlement colony in New Delhi, India. The study included males aged 15–24 years residing in the study area at the time of survey. A semi-structured interview schedule was designed and translated into Hindi to elicit information on tobacco use. Results: Prevalence of tobacco use (ever user) was found to be 31.3%. Among ever users, 225 (27.7%) were current users and 9 (3.6%) were past users. Peer pressure (140, 62.2%) was found to be most common reason for initiation, whereas habit (143, 63.5%) of having tobacco was most common reason for continuation of tobacco use.