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Background: Tobacco contains many chemicals which causes cancer and chronic morbidities as evidenced from number of studies. Information regarding the chronic morbidities resulting from tobacco use was lacking in Indian setting. This study was conducted with the objective to find the prevalence of chronic morbidities other than cancer and oral conditions in tobacco users among adults in Kolar district.Methods: This is a community based, cross sectional study conducted in Kolar district among selected sample size of 1534 from six taluks during December 2018 to March 2019. The structured questionnaire was used to collect information at different geographical and social meeting places to represent the sample. The questionnaire contained information about sociodemographic, tobacco use and self-declared morbidity conditions.Results: Study subjects were aged between 18 to 80 years and the mean age was 53.7±18.2 years. The prevalence of chronic morbidity was 14.4% in 1534 subjects and 24.2% in 521 tobacco users. Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases accounted for 80 percent of morbidities followed by respiratory and other systems. The odd ratio (OR) was 3.4 for tobacco users and chronic morbidities, OR for diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases was 5-19 and 5-22 respectively.Conclusions: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and other conditions are high among any form of tobacco use or consumption, illiterates, aged above 51 years and agriculture related workers compared to no tobacco users. There is a need of awareness about early detection of chronic morbidities to reduce the premature deaths and economic loss to the community.
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Introduction: Around 5 million female beedi workers in India are rolling beedi for 6–12 h and handling 225–450 g of beeditobacco/day in a poor household environment. Beedi tobacco dust gets absorbed through the cutaneous and pharyngealroute. Nicotine, the main component, is a potent cardiac myocyte, A-type potassium channel inhibitor. Nicotine, a potentarrhythmogenic agent, causes electrophysiological disturbances such as shortened QTc and prolonged T-wave end (Tp-e)interval, by prolonging ventricular repolarization time. Nicotine accelerates atherogenesis also. Very few Indian studies areavailable to highlight this aspect.Aim: This study aims to observe the electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in female beedi rollers in Tirunelveli district.Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 35 female beedi rollers, aged between 20 and 50 years, rollingbeedi for at least 5 years. Blood pressure and ECGs were performed on all subjects following standard operating procedure.Heart rate, QTc, and Tp-e intervals were measured.Results: The mean age of beedi rollers is 45.75 ± 7.1 years with mean years of exposure of 19.70 ± 8.05 years rolling 22.8 ± 8.54beedi bundles/day. There is no correlation found in systolic and diastolic pressure. Mean QTc interval was 432 ± 23.6 ms, meanTp-e interval is 79.47 ± 3.2 ms; there is no correlation in the duration of beedi rolling with ECG parameters.Conclusion: Beedi tobacco (nicotine) exposure is associated with risk of accelerated atherogenesis and arrhythmogenesis,but in our study, beedi rollers are not showing changes in ECG.
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Background: Exposure to nicotine can lead to increased morbidity and mortality among fetus and mothers. The objective was to study the effect of nicotine exposure on the birth weight of the babies.Methods: During the study period of one year, it was possible to recruit the total 144 subjects. 36 were women who were exposed to nicotine as they were bidi rollers. The exposure was confirmed by history. 36 women delivered during the study period and these newborns were included in the present study. Control group were 36 pregnant women who were not exposed to nicotine. They were asked about the exposure history, like anyone in their family is smoking inside the house any time and their occupation. Among these all (36) delivered during the study period and their newborns were included in the present study.Results: Both the groups were comparable in terms of age, hemoglobin, body mass index, gestational age. The mean birth weight of babies in the control group (whose mothers were not exposed) was 3.01kg with a standard deviation of 0.56 compared to mean birth weight of babies in the study group (whose mothers were not exposed) of 2.73kg with a standard deviation of 0.40. This difference in the mean birth weight of babies in the study group and the control group was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean serum cotinine value in study group mothers and babies was very high compared to zero value in mothers and babies of control group and statistically significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: Maternal nicotine exposure through beedi rolling is associated with reduced birth weight.
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CONTEXT: Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy among women in India. There is thus a need to identify unexplored risk factors such as occupational exposure to tobacco dust to justify its increasing trend so as to recommend suitable preventive measures. AIMS: The aim was to study the association between occupational exposure to tobacco dust with development of carcinoma cervix. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Case‑control study done in two tertiary care hospitals in Mangalore. METHODOLOGY: 239 histologically confirmed new cases of cervical cancer and the equivalent number of age‑matched controls from 2011 to 2012 were interviewed about occupational history of beedi rolling and related factors. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi‑square test, unpaired t‑test, logistic regression. RESULTS: Exposure rate to tobacco dust following beedi rolling was 63 (26.4%) among cases and 38 (15.9%) among controls (P = 0.005, odds ratio [OR] =1.893). The latent period from occupational exposure of tobacco dust subsequent to beedi rolling and development of cervical cancer was found to be 26.5 ± 8.5 years. Adjusted OR of beedi rolling with development of cervical cancer was found to be 1.913 (P = 0.005) after controlling the confounding effect of tobacco usage and was 1.618 (P = 0.225) after controlling the effects of all confounders. Three‑quarters of beedi rollers were working in conditions of inadequate ventilation and hardy anybody used face mask during work. About a quarter of participants underwent voluntary screening for cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: Occupational exposure to tobacco dust was found to be associated with risk of developing cervical cancer. Measures to promote awareness, timely screening of this disease along with the improvement in working conditions is required for improving the health status of beedi rollers and to minimize the incidence of carcinoma cervix in the community.
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Background: Beedi is also called as poor man’s cigarette. Government estimates total number of beedi workers at about 4.5 million. Women involvement in beedi rolling has been linked to the ease of learning skill, its manual operations, the fact that work can be carried out at home. Beedi rollers are exposed to unburnt tobacco dust through cutaneous and pharyngeal route. Methods: Community adopted under UHTC, Dept. of Community medicine, SDMCMS&H, Dharwad, Karnataka. All beedi rollers residing in the Community adopted under UHTC who were involved in beedi rolling since at least last 6 months and willing to participate in the study. Study duration was 2 months (April to June 2014). Preformed pretested questionnaire was used to collect data regarding sociodemographic profile, health problems and knowledge, attitude and practices towards handling of tobacco, urine cotinine test strips. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional ethical committee of SDMCMS&H, Dharwad. Descriptive statistics like percentages and proportions were calculated. Results: All participants in our study were females and mean age at starting beedi rolling was 15 years. Commonest reason for starting beedi rolling was to support family income. Regarding harmful effects of handling tobacco dust for rolling beedi, 5 (17%) participants replied positively, whereas remaining 24 (82.7%) participants considered it to be harmless. Washing hands after handling tobacco dust was a common practice of 19 (65.5%) participants. Conclusions: Handling tobacco dust is considered harmless by beedi rollers mainly because of ignorance which arises due to illiteracy and becomes their need to support family economically.