Özet:

nd: The consumption of tobacco causes maximum health damage, worldwide. Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated with serious health problems, especially in adolescents. The “cigarettes and other tobacco products act (COTPA)” has been formulated by GOI to reign in this epidemic. Hence, the present study was undertaken to access the awareness on SHS and its related legislation COTPA. Material and Methods: The present study was a descriptive school-based cross-sectional study conducted among students (13-19 years) studying in classes 8-12th carried out in Kullu district. Multistage cluster random design and probability proportional to size sampling methodology was adopted. A sample of 900 students both from rural and urban areas studying in 10 government and private senior secondary schools was selected. An anonymous, pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant information. Proportions, percentages, and odd’s ratio were calculated for relevant variables. Results: Around 35.1% were exposed to SHS at home. Nearly, 71.1% perceived it to be harmful for health, among which it was highest (46.9%) for cancer followed by respiratory disease (39.7%). Overall awareness about COTPA was 29.8%. Participants who were studying in private schools (odds ratio [OR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-4.26), whose fathers were highly educated (OR 2.20, CI: 1.15-4.21), whose mothers were highly educated (OR 2.31, 95% CI: 1.56-4.61), whose friends smoked (OR 1.84, 95% CI: 1.03-3.29), and who were themselves smokers (OR 5.60, 95% CI: 2.78-11.29), all were more likely to have good awareness of COTPA. Conclusion: There was high knowledge about deleterious effects of self and SHS among the participants. The findings however reveal a subpar level of knowledge regarding COTPA. Concerted efforts should be made to increase the awareness of COTPA focusing on adolescents involving all the stakeholders.

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