Information related to tobacco products in Indian undergraduate college syllabus: a content analysis

Authors

  • Anu Krishna Kumar S. Department of Public Health Dentistry, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Madan Kumar P. D. Department of Public Health Dentistry, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20230625

Keywords:

Tobacco products, Health education, Undergraduate courses

Abstract

Background: Health education through college textbooks is effective in promoting knowledge, reforming, and improving health related behaviours among youths. This study evaluated the amount of tobacco related health and other information among the undergraduate college syllabus in their curriculum.

Methods: Under graduate college courses that were enrolled by students in the academic year 2019-2020 according to the All-India survey on higher education were included in the study. A total of 28 undergraduate courses under 12 governing bodies were included for content analysis. These curriculums were analysed by three examiners for the search of tobacco related keywords obtained from the WHO glossary of tobacco terms. The inter examiner reliability was calculated using the Cohen's Kappa in the SPSS software (version 25).

Results: Total of 3383 pages of the curriculum from different undergraduate courses were analysed. Results showed that the total number of information related to tobacco appeared in the form of text as 15 and tabulations as 4, to a total of 19. Among the different courses, the tobacco-related contents were higher in MBBS curriculum. Distribution of the tobacco related contents under health information were found to be higher when compared to the tobacco cessation contents and laws.

Conclusions: The distribution of tobacco related contents were found to be very less among the undergraduate courses. There is a lack of information regarding the cessation process and guidance against tobacco related habits.

References

Detail about tobacco in India fact. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ tobacco. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Global adult tobacco survey. Available at: https://ntcp.nhp.gov.in ›surveys-reports-publications. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Global youth tobacco survey. Available at: https://cdn.who.int.ncds.data-reporting.india. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Economic burden of tobacco related diseases in India. Available at: https://nhm.gov.in/NTCP/Surveys-Reports./Economic_Burden_of_Tobacco_Related_ Diseases_in_India-Report.pdf. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Ali I, Patthi B, Singla A, Dhama K, Muchhal M, Rajeev A, et al. Assessment of implementation and compliance of (COTPA) cigarette and other tobacco products Act (2003) in open places of Delhi. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020;9(6):3094-9.

Education institutes. Available at: https://www. education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics-new/aishe_eng.pdf. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Hahn RA, Truman, BI. Education improves public health and promotes health equity. Int J Health Ser. 2015;45(4):657-78.

Glossary of tobacco terms. Available at: https://www. who.int/southeastasia/publications-detail/sear-tobacco-atlas. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults: a report of the surgeon general. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/PE. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Growing up tobacco free: preventing nicotine addiction in children and youths. Washington (DC): National Academies Press; 1994:4.

Murthy RS. National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-2016. Indian J Psychiatr. 2017;59(1):21-6.

Global Adult Tobacco Survey India (GATS). Available at https://ntcp.nhp.gov.in/assets/document/surveys-reports-publications/Global-Adult-Tobacco-Survey-India-2009-2010-Report.pdf. Accessed on 20 November 2022.

Hoffman KM, Poston WS, Jitnarin N, Jahnke SA, Hughey J, Lando HA, et al. A content analysis of tobacco control policy in the US department of defense. J Public Health Policy. 2011;32(3):334-49.

Zhen-qiang Ma, Monica A. Fisher, Lewis H. Kuller, School-based HIV/AIDS education is associated with reduced risky sexual behaviors and better grades with gender and race/ethnicity differences. Health Edu Res. 2014;29(2)330-9.

Subburaman N, Diwakar MP, Vikraman V, Ammaiappan M, Srinivasan V. Oral health information in the Science, Tamil, and English samacheer textbooks of upper primary and secondary schools in Tamilnadu: A content analysis. J Pierre Fauchard Acad. 2017;31(2-4):125-30.

Barker AB, Whittamore K, Britton J, Cranwell J. Content analysis of tobacco content in UK television. Tobacco control. 2019;28(4):381-5.

Saito J, Nonaka D, Mizoue T, Kobayashi J, Jayatilleke AC, Shrestha S, et al. Limited potential of school textbooks to prevent tobacco use among students grade 1-9 across multiple developing countries: a content analysis study. BMJ. 2013;3(2):e002340.

Jenssen BP, Klein JD, Salazar LF, Daluga NA, DiClemente RJ. Exposure to tobacco on the internet: content analysis of adolescents' internet use. Pediatrics. 2009;124(2):e180-6.

Rath JM, Bennett M, Vallone D, Hair EC. Content analysis of tobacco in episodic programming popular among youth and young adults. Tobacco control. 2020;29(4):475-9.

Menon PG, George S, Nair BS, Rani A, Thennarasu K, Jaisoorya T. Tobacco Use Among College Students Across Various Disciplines in Kerala, India. Tobacco Use Insights. 2020;13:23-9.

Haines-Saah RJ, Bell K, Dennis S. A qualitative content analysis of cigarette health warning labels in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(2):e61-9.

West R. Tobacco smoking: Health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions. Psychol Health. 2017;32(8):1018-36.

Downloads

Published

2023-02-28

How to Cite

S., A. K. K., & P. D., M. K. (2023). Information related to tobacco products in Indian undergraduate college syllabus: a content analysis. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 10(3), 1112–1118. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20230625

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles