Religiosity vs tobacco use: Religion's impact on tobacco use among adult Indian population - A cross sectional study.

Background: Tobacco use is major serious threats to health and well-being killing approximately 1 million people each year. One of the better ways for tobacco cessation is by promoting the cultural-religious belief that may influence a person's tobacco-related habits. Methods: A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 174 adult subjects of smoking and smokeless tobacco users. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information and the Duke University Religion Index was used to assess the influence of religious belief and the use of tobacco products. The appropriate statistical tests were done using the Chi square test and ANOVA. Result: The study involved 174 participants of smoking and smokeless tobacco users. The participants were predominantly males (96%) with a mean age of 36 years, and more than half were Hindus (71.85). Among the study participants, 37.4% were graduates and 17.8% were illiterates. With regard to Occupation, the majority of the respondents were Professionals (24.7%). Majority of tobacco users had religious beliefs and strongly accepted that using tobacco during the fasting period was against their religious beliefs. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a strong influence of religious belief on tobacco usage. Hence, there is a need to conduct community awareness programs for the adult population about the consequences of tobacco use.