Assessment of nicotine dependency among adults at selected areas of wagholi, pune

Substance addiction has a severe impact not only on the individual, but also those close to them and society as a whole. The objectives of the study are to assess the 1.Level of nicotine dependency among tobacco smokers. 2. Level of nicotine dependency among smokeless tobacco users.3.To associate the findings of tobacco smokers and smokeless tobacco users with selected demographic variables. The quantitative non-experimental survey design was used to survey 500 families with, N=2230, out of which 270 adults were selected by Non probability purposive sampling technique. Data collection was done by Demographic questionnaire, Screening questionnaire and Standard and modified rating scales ie Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence For smokeless tobacco (FTND-ST) were used to assess nicotine dependency for smokeless and tobacco smokers. Findings of nicotine dependency shows that out of 270 adults 94% adults were using smokeless form of tobacco consumption, 3% were using smoking form and 3% were using in both smoking and smokeless form of tobacco consumption. Among the 3% smokers 53 % were having low to moderate and 47 % having high dependency on nicotine. Findings of 94% smokeless tobacco users show that 83 % were having high dependence and 17% were having low dependence on nicotine. There was no association found with any of the demographic variable in the study with the nicotine dependency in smokers and smokeless tobacco users. Study concludes that adults who are using nicotine in any form are prone to develop moderate to significant level of nicotine dependency. If health personnel’s move towards primary prevention aspect of community psychiatry then only we can create awareness among society about the varied perspectives of prevention of addiction and its intoxicating effects in society.