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Prevalence of smoking in the students of English medium private schools in Tripura, India

Introduction: Globally, smoking related diseases kill an estimated four million people every year. This number is predicted to rise to a staggering 10 million a year over the next two decades. Smoking leads, indeed, to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, lung disorders as well as several malignancies, including lung, throat, stomach, and bladder cancers. Early identifying smokers in this group and the associated determinants of smoking behavior can help reduce or stop cigarette consumption. The Objective of this study is to find out prevalence of smoking among adolescents aged 13 to 18 years studying in class 9th to 11th in English medium private schools in Tripura, India. Materials and methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out during November- December 2021 in faith based English medium private schools of Udaipur and Bishramganj subdivision of Tripura, India. A total of 565 students aged 13 to 18 years participated in this study from four schools. Results: The number of students participating from class 9th, 10th and 11th standard were 375 (66.4%), 85 (15%) and 105 (18.6%) respectively. The overall prevalence of ever smoker was 24.7% (95% CI 21.3 to 28.4%) among adolescents. The prevalence of ever smokers in male (38.6%) adolescents was more than female (7.7%) and differences between the male and female adolescents were significantly different (p value <0.05). Conclusion: Around one-fourth of the students studying in class 9th, 10th and 11th standard were ever smoked cigarettes or chewing guthka or pan masala. 