Prevalence of substance use and awareness about its ill effects among people residing in a rural village in Chamarajanagara district, Karnataka.

Introduction: Usage of substances like alcohol, tobacco and other addictives leads to major socio-economic problems along with many harmful health effects. In India, 14.6% of population use alcohol and 28.6% of the population use tobacco products. This study attempts to assess the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco and substance use and to assess the awareness of ill effects of these substances, among a rural community in Chamrajnagara District, Karnataka.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a village in Chamarajanagara district by house to house survey. The sample size was estimated to be 244. Data regarding substance use habits and awareness was collected using a pre-validated, semi-structured questionnaire by interview method and was analysed using SPSS Version 23.Results: The total prevalence of substance use was found to be 27%. Among the study participants, 22% have used tobacco at least once in a lifetime and prevalence of alcohol use was 8.2%. A minority of 1.2% have used other substances also. The most common reasons for initiating and continuing substance use were peer pressure and time pass or leisure. Among the total study population, 80.7% and 77.7% were aware of the health problems related to tobacco and alcohol respectively.Conclusion: Regardless of the high awareness of health problems related to alcohol and tobacco use, the usage was high among the rural population. So more effective behavioural change communication strategies should be designed and implemented in the area to improve the practice among the rural population.