Determinants of tobacco use and prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in cab drivers in Bengaluru City, India

• Published in: International journal of preventive medicine Vol. 8; no. 1; p. 100
• Main Authors: Shetty, Punith, Khargekar, Naveen, Debnath, Arpan, Khargekar, Nitin, Srivastava, B, Farha Hakeen, Naz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2017; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Analysis; Dentistry; Early detection of cancer; Health aspects; Health risks; Hospitals; Lesions; leukoplakia; Males; Mouth diseases; Nicotine; Oral cancer; Original; Prepaid services; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Public health; Risk factors; Smoking; Studies; Taxicab drivers; Taxicabs; Tobacco; Tobacco habit; tobacco use disorder; Working hours; India; tobacco use disorder; leukoplakia; Early detection of cancer
• ISSN: 2008-7802; 2008-8213
• DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_225_17

Background: Tobacco is a most important risk factor for various types of cancer as well as some noncommunicable disease. Around 34.6% of Indian population consume tobacco. The tobacco consumption is higher in some vulnerable population such as drivers, daily wage laborers, and policemen. Tobacco consumption is known to cause oral cancers, and screening for oral cancer in these individuals is known to reduce mortality from cancer. The study was designed to assess the determinants of tobacco use and the prevalence of oral precancerous lesions in cab drivers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among cab drivers at prepaid taxi counters in Bengaluru city. A total of 450 cab drivers were enrolled in the study, of which 225 cab drivers were interviewed during morning hours and remaining half at night time using a semi-structured questionnaire. All were screened for oral cancer/precancerous lesions. Results: Nearly 70.88% of cab drivers were consuming tobacco in any form. Long working hours, working at night, and family members consuming tobacco were significant risk factors for tobacco use among cab drivers. Forty-eight drivers were detected to have oral precancerous lesions. Conclusions: It was very evident that long hours of driving and infrequent shifts played a greater role in acquiring the habit. Behavioral counseling and new laws need to be formed to limit the working hours in drivers to have an effective tobacco control.