Who uses smokeless tobacco in India’s LASI sample?
Among 65,561 LASI adults, 38% had used any tobacco; 22.8% ever and 20.4% currently used smokeless tobacco, with higher use in rural, male, poorer, ST, and informal/agricultural work.
Source
Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in India and its association with various occupations: A LASI study
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — LASI wave 1 (2017–18) nationally representative survey-weighted descriptives and multivariable logistic regression of smokeless tobacco by occupation
- N
- N=65561 · LASI wave 1 sample of 65,561 adults; 24,777 (38%) ever used smoked or smokeless tobacco
- Population
- Indian adults in the Longitudinal Aging Study in India wave 1 (mostly ages 45+)
- Outcome
- Ever/current smokeless tobacco use and occupational plus childhood-adversity correlates
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
What they did
Analyzed LASI wave 1 (2017–18) with survey weights, describing ever/current smokeless tobacco (SLT) and fitting multivariable logistic models for occupation, employer type, workplace, business, workload, and childhood adversity.
What they found
Of tobacco users, 51% used SLT, 40% smoked, 9% both. Population-level previous/current SLT: 22.8% and 20.4% (14,090 and 12,461). 88.6% of SLT users still used it (11.4% quit). ST groups had the highest shares (31.6% previous, 28.4% current). Professionals ~10%; plant/machine and agricultural workers ~22%. Authors urge quitting programs for rural male informal workers.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Cross-sectional LASI cannot prove occupation causes SLT use; self-report and healthy-survivor older adults may bias prevalence, and causality of childhood adversity is not established.
Key terms
- Smokeless tobacco (SLT)
- Chewed/applied products (khaini, gutka, betel quid with tobacco, mishri, etc.), not smoked cigarettes.
- LASI wave 1
- Longitudinal Aging Study in India, 2017–18 nationally representative baseline used here as a cross-section.
- Survey-weighted analysis
- Descriptive stats and logistic regression using LASI sampling weights.
- Informal/rural work
- Occupational pattern the authors flag as a policy target for SLT cessation.
- Schedule tribe (ST)
- Caste category with the highest SLT shares in this sample.
Flashcards
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Common questions
How large is LASI here?
65,561 adults in wave 1 (2017–18).
What share currently use SLT?
20.4% current; 22.8% previous users at population level.
Among any tobacco users, how many use SLT?
51% smokeless, 40% smoked, 9% both.
Who uses most?
Rural males, poorer households, ST groups, and informal/agricultural workers more than professionals.
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