Tribal adolescents in Odisha introduced to smokeless tobacco without family control, study finds

Tribal adolescents in Odisha, home to India’s most diverse tribal communities and home to the state’s 64 tribes, including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), begin consumption of smokeless tobacco as early as 12 to 16 years of age due to lack of family control and peer pressure, according to a study by the regional division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The study titled ‘A qualitative study on tobacco use-related behaviors and major influencing factors among youth from indigenous communities of Odisha, India’, conducted by Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, ICMR institute and Utkal University, says the prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption is 61% among men and 35% among women.

The study, which included 210 participants from the Santhal and Bhumij tribal communities, says tobacco consumption habits are influenced by various socio-demographic determinants that include individual and community-level characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, age, education and occupation, as well as socio-cultural environment.

Tobacco control laws not in line with smokeless tobacco

Subhendu Kumar Acharya, senior scientist, RMRC, said, “We found several factors that lead to the initiation of tobacco consumption. Youth (12 to 16 years) is observed as the age of initiation of tobacco consumption. However, family situation and peer group have special roles in initiating tobacco habit among adolescents and youth.”

“Early experiences due to lack of family control have been observed, leading to early habituation to tobacco. Peer pressure has also been observed as another important and important factor in this process, which takes place due to the influence of close friends and older people in the peer group,” said Mr. Acharya.

Adolescents are introduced to tobacco at cultural venues, including local games and festivals. According to the research, they study tobacco consumption at school or university by learning from the elderly.

“While briefly surveying the institutional facilities, it was found that there are only 13 tobacco addiction treatment centers in the entire Odisha and they are quite limited in terms of existence and functionality,” the RMRC scientist said, adding that stopping tobacco consumption is necessary to reduce the associated mortality and morbidity.

“Also, lack of knowledge regarding the adverse health effects of tobacco use and inadequate healthcare infrastructure are other important factors. There is a need for a more detailed study of the healthcare system and relevant tobacco control practices followed by the necessary intervention strategy,” Mr. Acharya said.

In an earlier RMRC study, analysis of data on the distribution of adults using any form of tobacco in India showed that Odisha is the largest consumer of any form of tobacco among both men and women in major states of India, excluding the northeastern States.

Analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 data showed that as against 8.9% of the national prevalence of tobacco consumption among women above 14 years of age, the prevalence among women in Odisha was 26%. In men, the prevalence increased to 52% compared to the national average of 38%.

The current study shows that smokeless tobacco consumption among tribals of Odisha is 48.4% (men 61.5% and women 35.5%).