title: Urban and rural disparity in tobacco use and knowledge about oral cancer among adolescents: An epidemiological survey on 12 and 15-year school going students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess and compare the tobacco use prevalence; to understand and compare attitudes and knowledge related to tobacco use and its health impact among urban and rural students; and to assess urban and rural disparity in the use of tobacco among 12 and 15-year-old adolescents in the urban and rural schools in Chhattisgarh, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 12 and 15-year-old and urban and rural school going children in Durg District. Scientifically, based on the data obtained from the pilot study, sample size was calculated. A total of 1000 children were selected to be a part of the study and were interviewed face-to-face using a detailed pretested, close-ended questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16.0 (SPSS Pvt. Ltd, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of tobacco consumption was 48.8%. Males were involved predominantly in consuming tobacco. The knowledge and attitude was better in the school children of urban areas than the school children of rural areas; more of the urban school children were involved in smoking cigarette. Rural children outnumbered urban children in the smokeless tobacco consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of tobacco consumption among school children remains high with a wide disparity among urban and rural children. There is an urgent need to have a rural orientation in the National Tobacco Control Program that is currently being developed by the Government of India and giving relevance to the youth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabnis
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Kamtaram
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Sanidhya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surana
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Heena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mazhar
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rungta College of Dental Sciences and Research, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India.
authors.forename: Soumy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pandey
keywords: Adolescence; adolescent; oral cancer; tobacco cessation; tobacco control