ABSTRACT
The prevalence of smoking amongst university students is common and widespread. Generally, the period of smoking gets triggered with the onset of adolescence. This period is also called student period in which the most behavioural traits are created. Hukkah is also another popular product being used nowadays by students as it provides the extra feature of smoking flavoured tobacco. Hukkah is considered more risk prone than cigarettes due to more carbon monoxide poisoning, tarring heavy metals and carcinogens. A study conducted in Israel also showed that 41% of students were smoking tobacco through Hukkahand in yet another survey conducted among the students of America, it was found that 27% had smoked hukkah,which shows that the prevalence of smoking Hukkah has increased. METHODSThe survey was conducted in one of the universities in Delhi/NCR during the academic year 2019 - 2020 by self-administering a questionnaire among the population of 200 students studying in various departments. The questionnaire included questions to analyse their knowledge, attitude and practice about smoking habits. RESULTSThe analysis showed that there was no significant gender difference in smoking habits and was more or less same i.e. in the range of 80 – 82 %. The trend followed was also same in both the genders. Smoking period ranged from 18 years to 27 years. The reasons for smoking were different in older smokers then new smokers. Older ones used the habit for averting stress whereas new students adopted the habit out of pleasure and get trendy. Hukkah was also seen to be used mostly by new or younger groups during parties. Good part of the study was that a major part of students i.e. 59.5 % had intentions / desire to quit smoking due to its ill-effect on their health and remaining wanted to continue with smoking due to their own reasons. CONCLUSIONSUniversity/college is a place where a student gets attracted to smoking habit due to reasons ranging from societal, physiological, psychological, mental pressures. In order to divert the attention of the students from adopting the habit of smoking, educational lectures among the college students should be organized on regular basis to raise awareness about the harmful effects of smoking on their health as well avoiding a wasteful expenditure of the hard-earned money, which can otherwise be used for maintaining a good health.