Smokers poor in academics: Survey

Kochi: A study survey covering more than 7,500 high school and higher secondary school students in Ernakulam district has found tobacco users are prone to poorer academic performance. The study also found that tobacco is a gateway drug, one that leads users to other potent drugs.

A high 76.3 percent of lifelong tobacco users – those who had smoked or used smokeless tobacco throughout their life – had failed in a subject compared to 57 per cent of non-users. Further, 24.7 percent of such users had failed a year of studies as against 9.1 percent non-users.

The study also found that tobacco users had significantly higher usage rates of alcohol and illicit drugs. Alcohol use among lifelong tobacco users was found to be 67.8 per cent as compared to 11 percent in non-users. In the case of illicit drugs, the rates of use were 33 per cent versus 6.1 percent in tobacco users and non-users respectively.

The findings that were recently published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research are part of the findings of a larger study looking at psychological issues among adolescent school students, done by the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). The National Health Mission (Kerala) and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Kerala were also associated with the study.

In what could be good news to enforcement officials, the study reports decreasing trend of tobacco use among adolescent high school students compared to previous studies done among students in South India, and in Kannur district. In the survey, 6.9 per cent students reported having used tobacco in any form, with the proportion of males using tobacco being 12.5 per cent and females 1.2 per cent.

Most users still started early with the mean age of initiation among users being 14 years. Lead author Dr T.S. Jaisoorya said, “We took up the study to evaluate psychological issues among school going adolescents who often have multiple vulnerabilities. The prevalence of tobacco use and its negative outcomes among adolescents suggest that proactive  intervention from teachers and parents is needed to check tobacco use among students”.