Tobacco use in children and adolescents is reaching pandemic
levels. The World Bank has reported that nearly 82,000–99,000 children and
adolescents all over the world begin smoking every day. About half of them would continue to smoke
to adulthood and half of the adult smokers are expected to die prematurely due
to smoking related diseases. If current smoking trends continue, tobacco will
kill nearly 250 million of today's children.
India is the second most populous country in the world. It is a
secular country but the Hindus form the majority. Hinduism traditionally
advocates abstinence from all intoxicants. Even then, India is the third
largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. The country has a long
history of tobacco use. Tobacco is used in a variety of ways in India; its use
has unfortunately been well recognized among the adolescents. Tobacco addiction of a large number of
adults has been initiated during the adolescence.
Considering the enormous health complications associated with
tobacco use, it is of utmost importance to understand the factors leading to
its use and to plan strategies to reduce its intake. This is especially
relevant for the developing countries like India, where tobacco use continues
to be common notwithstanding the recognition of harmful consequences of its
usage. This paper reviews the patterns of tobacco use in India, its prevalence
in Indian adolescents, role of psychosocial factors in initiation and
prevention, and the steps taken by the State to control its use.
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