Perception of tobacco use in young adults in urban India: a qualitative exploration with relevant health policy analysis.

Perception of tobacco use in young adults in urban India: a qualitative exploration with relevant health policy analysis. Ecancermedicalscience. 2019;13:915 Authors: Ghose S, Sardar A, Shiva S, Mullan BE, Datta SS Abstract Tobacco is one of the biggest global health concerns of this century with a significant contribution to the increasing burden of cancers, chronic diseases and associated mortality. Tobacco-related cancers are one of the commonest causes of cancer-related mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The tobacco epidemic is constantly on the rise, affecting LMICs in particular due to a lack of awareness in the population, insufficient health infrastructure and weak regulatory interventions. India is home to the world's largest youth population and a large percentage of them take up tobacco at a very young age, leading to subsequent habit formation. There is limited evidence in published research from India on young people's perceptions on the use and control of tobacco. This qualitative study has attempted to bridge that knowledge gap; a thematic analysis was used on the qualitative data gathered from young university students who participated in interviews and focus group discussions, which was then compared and contrasted with a critical analysis of India's national tobacco control measures. It employed a health policy analysis framework to understand how gaps in the national tobacco control initiatives c...
Source: Ecancermedicalscience - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Ecancermedicalscience Source Type: research