title: Women and Tobacco Use: Discrepancy in the Knowledge, Belief and Behavior towards Tobacco Consumption among Urban and Rural Women in Chhattisgarh, Central India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco consumption has become pandemic, and is estimated to have killed 100 million people in the 20th century worldwide. Some 700,000 out of 5.4 million deaths due to tobacco use were from India. The era of global modernization has led to an increase in the involvement of women in tobacco consumption in the low income and middle-income countries. Tobacco consumption by females is known to have grave consequences.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess: (1) the tobacco use among urban and rural women; (2) the discrepancy in the knowledge, belief and behavior towards tobacco consumption among urban and rural women in Durg-Bhilai Metropolitan, Chhattisgarh, Central India.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 2,000 18-25 year old young women from Durg-Bhilai Metropolitan, Chhattisgarh, Central India, from both urban and rural areas. Data were collected using a pretested, anonymous, extensive face to face interview by a female investigator to assess the tobacco use among women and the discrepancy in the knowledge, belief and behavior towards tobacco consumption among urban and rural individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of tobacco use was found to be 47.2%. Tobacco consumption among rural women was 54.4% and in urban women was 40%. The majority of the women from urban areas (62.8%) were smokers whilst rural women (77.4%) showed preponderance toward smokeless tobacco use. Urban women had a better knowledge and attitude towards harms from tobacco and its use than the rural women. Women in rural areas had higher odds (1.335) of developing tobacco habit than the urban women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased tobacco use by women poses very severe hazards to their health, maternal and child health, and their family health and economic well-being. Due to the remarkably complex Indian picture of female tobacco use, an immediate and compulsory implementation of tobacco control policies laid down by the WHO FCTC is the need of the hour.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Dentistry, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, India E-mail : dr.ramtiwarirjn@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ram Vinod
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Ankush
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Aniruddh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.forename: Manjari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Mayank
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D014030:Tobacco, Smokeless / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution