Exposure to domestic violence associated with adult smoking in India: a population based study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relation between domestic violence and tobacco use among adults in India.


METHODS
Multilevel cross sectional analyses of a nationally representative population based sample from the 1998-9 Indian national family health survey.


METHODS
278,977 individuals aged 15 or older; and 89,092 ever married women aged 15-49.


RESULTS
Dichotomous variables for smoking and chewing tobacco.


RESULTS
Women who reported being abused more than one year ago and those who reported being abused in the past year were more likely to smoke and chew tobacco than women who have never experienced domestic violence. Compared to individuals who lived in homes where no abuse was reported, those who lived in homes where a woman reported experiencing domestic violence were more likely to smoke and chew tobacco.


CONCLUSIONS
Domestic violence is associated with higher odds of smoking and chewing tobacco in India. Efforts to control tobacco use need to consider the larger psychosocial circumstances within which individuals who practise such harmful health behaviours reside.
Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, KRESGE 7th floor, Boston, MA 02115-6096, USA.
Leland K
LK
Ackerson
Ichiro
I
Kawachi
Elizabeth M
EM
Barbeau
S V
SV
Subramanian
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless