Abstract

Tobacco use, particularly smoking, is a major public health concern, especially among young people, who are often at risk of starting smoking at an early age. The study was conducted in a specific community area of New Delhi to evaluate adolescents’ awareness of the health risks associated with tobacco use, including its links to heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other serious health conditions. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from adolescents aged 12-18 years, focusing on their knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking, factors influencing their attitudes towards tobacco use, and sources of information they rely on for learning about smoking-related risks. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the gaps in knowledge and the misconceptions that may exist among adolescents regarding tobacco smoking. The findings highlight the importance of targeted health education and awareness campaigns in schools and communities to reduce tobacco use initiation and promote healthier lifestyles among young people. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing tobacco prevention efforts and improving adolescent education on the risks of smoking. Problem Statement: A descriptive study to evaluate knowledge of adolescents regarding tobacco smoking in selected community area of New Delhi Objectives: 1. To assess the knowledge regarding tobacco hazards. 2. To find the association between knowledge score and selected demographic variables. Results: The relationship between adolescents’ knowledge of tobacco use and specific sociodemographic factors, including age in years, education, father’s occupation, monthly family income, family kinds, and tobacco smoking addiction practices of family members. The findings showed that adolescents’ demographic characteristics and their knowledge of tobacco use did not significantly correlate. Thus, the null hypothesis is accepted and the research hypothesis H1 is rejected. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the adolescent boys’ knowledge of drug addiction prevention was lacking. The study’s conclusions demonstrated how successful the progressive study was in raising adolescents’ level of awareness about tobacco smoking among adolescents. The study found that all of the adolescents in the experimental group had increased levels of knowledge of tobacco smoking, regardless of differences in demographic characteristics.

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