Practice of smoking; awareness among adolescents of Abasia higher secondary school and Ummul Qura Bahawalpur

ABSTRACT

Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people each year. More than five million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030[1]. To reduce this heavy morbidity and mortality due to tobacco use, can only be reduced by educating the masses regarding harmful effects of tobacco use. This cross sectional study was conducted with the objective, to assess the awareness and factors responsible for smoking among adolescents in Abbasia Higher secondary school and Umm ul Qura High School, Bahawalpur. The study was carried out in Abbasia Higher secondary school and Umm ul Qura High School. Duration From 1 May 2011 to 15 June 2011. Subject/A preformed questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 subjects included in this study. Of all the subjects, 74% were aware of smoking, 22.67% were smokers. According to this study, 76.47% of smokers said that they smoked to enjoy some occasion, 17.65% smoked due to stress and 5% for exam preparation. Students were well aware of smoking hazards; prevalence of smoking was higher in Umm ul Qura High School students