Tobacco Use and its Effects Among Adolescent in Secondary Schools

Abstract

Tobacco use is one of the chief preventable causes of death and illness in the world presently, about four million people world wide die yearly from tobacco related disease i.e. one death every eight seconds .If current trends continue, there will be one death every three seconds by 2030 and a third of them in developing countries. The study was based on descriptive research design, using quantitative data. For the purpose of study both the primary and secondary data were used. The respondents for the survey were in total 330 adolescents of three secondary school (Pathivara secondary school, Global secondary school) in Damak Municipality. The school was selected by purposive sampling method and 165 respondents were selected by using simple random sampling method and questionnaire was used as a tool for the collection of data. This thesis was structured in five parts, first part deals with the introduction of title, theoretical background, second part reviews the related literature of the relevant works, and third part was methodology of the study, fourth part deals with the analysis and interpretation of data and last part deals with summary, finding, conclusion and recommendation. The major objectives of this study was to determine the types to find out the impact of tobacco use (both smoked and smokeless tobacco product) among adolescents in secondary school in Damak Municipality of Nepal. Among the respondents, 35.2 percent were past used and 25.9 percent respondents used for paan masala, pan parag and gutkha, 25.9 percents followed by cigarette. Then, adolescents reported that at least 47.5 percent respondent's father used tobacco. About 44.2 percent respondent's friend used tobacco. Specially 35.6 percent were used paan masala, pan parag and gutkha 46.6 percents used cigarette. Then, 19 percent were used tobacco in school compound. 39.7 percent respondents save their pocket money for buying any forms of tobacco. Similarly, 85.5 percent respondents were known about the effect of tobacco use. Main point is that 100 percents adolescents have knowledge on the effect of tobacco in health. The study revealed that the use of tobacco among adolescents was significantly associated with tobacco use habit of family members and friends, their exposure to pro-tobacco advertisement and environmental tobacco smoke. Level of knowledge regarding impact of tobacco and prevalence of tobacco were significant with the tobacco use habit of adolescents. Thus, educational and counselling program for preventing non-users from using tobacco and for helping current and experimental users to quit tobacco use is necessary. Adolescents should be protected from exposure to tobacco use habit of family members and friends. To protect health and promote healthy environment in school compound. Therefore, It is urgent to take appropriate steps to discourage such expansion before it is too late.