A Qualitative Study on Attitude Towards Tobacco and Quitting among Tobacco Users in Tribal Gypsies Dwelling in Tamil Nadu

Background: Tobacco use harms every organ in your body. Smoking tobacco introduces not only nicotine but also more than 5000 chemicals inducing numerous carcinogens (cancer - causing chemicals) into your lungs blood and organs. For the tribals of Tamil Nadu, tobacco is a part of their culture and practice. They live in the outskirts of towns and their accessibility to proper health education becomes difficult. They need a deeper understanding on tobacco effects. Aim: To conduct a qualitative study on attitude towards smoking and quitting among smokers in tribal gypsies dwelling from Tamil Nadu. Methods: A total of 30 participants who were above 18 years were included in the study. They were divided into 3 categories namely primary school completion, Middle school completed and completed high shool or above. An in depth interview and focal group discussions for the smokers in the tribal gypsies was conducted with a guide and a moderator. The areas of the discussion include reach to start smoking , knowledge regarding COTPA and quitting attempts. Open ended questions were asked and the responses were sorted thematically for result analysis. Results: Most of the participants have started tobacco from childhood seeing family and friends. It has become a addiction into their lives without them even realising it. They continue to use it because of stress and believe that their community people should use tobacco as an identity. The participants dont get affected by anti tobacco commercials and they are confident enough that government will not take action against tobacco. Conclusion: The study concluded that all the participants lack awareness about the tobacco and need a proper tailored counselling on the ill effects of tobacco, nicotine replacement therapy with regular follow up. Strict laws has to be tailored for non smoking tobacco products as well instead of concentrating only on smoking tobacco products.