title: Tobacco use among school students in Goa, India.
abstract: Information about prevalence of tobacco use was assessed among school children in Goa, India. Among 50 sampled schools, the school response rate was 98% and, over 94% students participated in the survey (56% were boys, 44% girls). Ever tobacco use was reported by 13.5% of which over 40% reported initiation at 10 years of age or earlier. The current tobacco use (any product) was reported by 4.5%, without much difference in smokeless tobacco use (2.8%) and smoking (3.0%). Smokeless tobacco was use mainly in the form of applying mishri, tobacco containing toothpaste or toothpowder. Smoking among boys was 3.5% and girls 2.2%. Non-users reported knowledge about the harmful effect of tobacco two to three times more than tobacco users. Over about 50% of students reported having been taught in school about the dangers of tobacco use. Tobacco users (60.5%) as well as non-users (63%) favoured ban smoking in public places equally. Tobacco use by parents and close friends was positively associated with students' current tobacco use.
authors.affiliation: Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, Navi Mumbai.
authors.forename: Mangesh S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Pednekar
authors.forename: Prakash C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014026:Nicotiana