title: Tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among urban low socioeconomic women in Mumbai, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco use is an important health issue globally. It is responsible for a large number of diseases and deaths in India. Female tobacco users have additional health risks.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to assess changes in pre and post-intervention tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among women from urban low socioeconomic strata, after three rounds of interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A structured questionnaire was used to interview women living in low socioeconomic housing clusters in Mumbai, regarding their tobacco consumption, attitudes, and practices, by Medical Social Workers. These data were entered into IBM SPSS Statistics, version 20 and analysed. Interventions for tobacco cessation were provided 3 times over a span of 9 months, comprising of health education and counseling. Post-intervention questionnaire was introduced at 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistically significant improvement in the knowledge of women, following the interventions, with particular reference to poor oral hygiene and tobacco use being main cause of oral cancer (P = 0.007), knowledge of ill effects of second hand smoke (P = 0.0001), knowledge about possibility of early detection of oral cancer (P = 0.0001), perception of pictorial and written warnings on tobacco products (P = 0.0001), and availability of help for quitting tobacco (P = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use is very high among urban women from lower socioeconomic strata. Therefore, tobacco awareness programs and tobacco cessation services tailor made for this group of women must be planned and implemented.
authors: Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors: V Parishi
authors: VP
authors: Majmudar
authors: Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors: A Gauravi
authors: AG
authors: Mishra
authors: Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors: V Sheetal
authors: VS
authors: Kulkarni
authors: Department of Statistician, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors: R Rohit
authors: RR
authors: Dusane
authors: Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors: S Surendra
authors: SS
authors: Shastri
keywords: Knowledge; and practices; attitudes; smokeless tobacco; tobacco; women