Predictors of intention to quit tobacco among construction site workers in Delhi, India.

BACKGROUND: Information on predictors of quitting behavior among construction site tobacco users is scarce in India. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the intention of tobacco users toward quitting and its predictors with reference to sociodemographic profile.

METHODOLOGY: A community-based, observational study was conducted on adult 172 construction site workers in a university campus of Delhi. Data were collected by an interview using the WHO-adopted, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was used for univariate analysis. Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate logistic regression model were used to identify the predictors.

RESULTS: Of the 172 users, 73% had intention to quit. More than half of smokers (56.5%) and 81% of smokeless tobacco users intended to quit. Majority of the tobacco users who intended to quit were literate (75.0%), started tobacco use >15 years of age (75.4%), occasional tobacco users (78.9%), and less dependent on nicotine (74.4%).

CONCLUSIONS: Suitable plan for quitting keeping in mind this vulnerable group of workers should be developed depending on the literacy, type of tobacco used, and nicotine dependency.