Prevalence and factors associated with tobacco use among beneficiaries attending the youth mental health promotion clinics (Yuvaspandana Kendra) in India: A case-record analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Chewing tobacco and smoking among youth leads to poor health outcomes. Understanding the factors associated with chewing tobacco and smoking is thus important for interventions. METHODS: A case-record analysis among 10340 youth (aged 15-35 years) attending a unique mental health promotion program, Yuva Spandana, across the state of Karnataka in southern India, was performed to assess prevalence of chewing tobacco and smoking. Multiple logistic regression was applied to determine the factors associated with their use. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of chewing tobacco and smoking among beneficiaries was 3% and 2.1%, respectively. The risk of tobacco chewing and smoking increased with age and risk was higher among males, married individuals and among all occupational categories, other than students. Adjusted odds ratios of chewing tobacco were found to be highest among business/salaried beneficiaries (AOR=3.48; 95% CI: 2.27-5.34), followed by ever married beneficiaries (AOR=3.41; 95% CI: 1.27-9.17). Adjusted odds ratios of smoking tobacco were highest among males (AOR=12.89; 95% CI: 7.5-22.14), followed by emotional experience of feeling worthless (AOR=4.19; 95% CI: 2.78-6.32), beneficiaries with poor relationship with family members (AOR=3.79; 95% CI: 1.38-10.44), and business/salaried beneficiaries (AOR=2.90; 95% CI: 1.79-4.7). Strength of association of males with smoking was much higher (AOR=12.89; 95% CI: 7.5-22.14) than compared with chewing tobacco (AOR=2.49; 95% CI: 1.89-3.28). CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of these factors associated with chewing tobacco and smoking will help in focusing on youth specific health promotion and interventions to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Incidence and Risk for Hypertension among Regular Medical Examination Attendee Cohort in an Automobile Industry. A Cox- Regression Analysis Model.

Introduction: With nearly 1,612,505 industrial workers in Karnataka, controlling hypertension among them is necessary to reduce subsequent non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, information on prevalence, incidence, and risk for hypertension among industrial workers is limited. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, incidence proportion, incidence rate, and risk for hypertension among annual medical examination [AME] attendee cohort between 2010 and 2014 in an automobile industry in India. Materials and Methods: Longitudinal record analysis (cohort approach) of 640 regular AME attendees between 2010 and 2014 was performed to estimate incidence and incidence rates. Cox regression was conducted to estimate the risk for hypertension in the study period. Necessary permission and ethics clearance was obtained. Results and Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension significantly increased from 8.8% in 2010 to 26.6% in 2014. The small increase in mean blood pressure (BP) resulted in large increases in the prevalence of hypertension. The incidence rate increased from 6.5 per 1000 person-months of observation in 2012 to 14.5 in 2014. No significant risk for hypertension was observed for the work department and type of plant. Results indicate a rising burden of hypertension with no specific risks associated with different work departments or types of plants. AME data is a utility value to monitor hypertension trends among employees and evaluate the effectiveness of worksite health programs to reduce hypertension.