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Prevalence and Correlates of Substance Use in rural Bhubaneswar – A Community based Cross sectional Study

Background: Substance use is an ever-increasing public health problem in the Indian society. Besides being a personal health risk, it is also a social and economic issue. The present study was undertaken to find out the prevalence and pattern of substance use in rural Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Material & Methods: A cross sectional community-based study was undertaken in rural Bhubaneswar in two phases, a pre survey qualitative assessment followed by the quantitative assessment. The prevalence, pattern and habit of use of different psychoactive substances were accessed using a predesigned pretested questionnaire among 574 study participants of greater than ten years of age. Results: The prevalence of use of at least one substance was 44.1%. Tobacco (smokeless) was the most commonly used substance followed by alcohol and smoked tobacco. Male gender, age greater than 40 years, joint family and being illiterate were the important predictors of substance use. Conclusions: A predominance of smokeless tobacco consumption was found in our study. Family members’ being the source of introduction in majority of users is a matter of serious concern. Community based intervention strategies can be helpful in targeting the rural population for deaddiction and delivering a social message for curbing the use of harmful substances.