Objective: To enable the participants to understand the impact of social, cultural and economic factors that impact the use of tobacco in India
Methods: Review of Research studies
Results: Tobacco was an alien product to India and was not welcome to begin with.However, the widespread uptake of tobacco habit as we see it today marks a huge victory for the tobacco promoters. Socio-cultural factors are crucial in determining who consumes tobacco, when, where, how and why. Evidence shows that the promoters understood this and made inroads which made tobacco acceptable, nay desireable over time. The use of smokeless tobacco among women is a similar victory by the promoters. If the socio-cultural factors impact the taking up of tobacco use, they ought to be utilized for addressing cessation as well.
