Reasons for Tobacco Proliferation amongst the Teenagers in Pakistan

Abstract

This study is aimed towards investigating the reasons for the wide spread of tobacco proliferation amongst the teenagers in Pakistan. The study examines the link between cigarettes and water pipe smoking and probes into the relationship that factors like peer pressure, social acceptance, easy availability of cigarettes, domestic stress, educational stress and subliminal advertising of smoking in movies and household smoking has on the encouragement of teenagers to try smoking. The design of the study is quantitative and is held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The participants of the study are a sample of 150 students from two private universities that is Bahria University Islamabad and Iqra University Islamabad. All of the participants were initially identified as active smokers. Participants of the study completed an anonymous questionnaire that included their age when they started smoking, their perception towards water pipe smoking, main factors responsible for the initiation of cigarettes amongst them, health behavioral aspects, household smoking and celebrities smoking in movies influence on them when they were reaching the age of adolescence. The frequency analysis and cross tabulation analysis shows that consumers of tobacco i.e. the teenagers are aware of the health issues associated with smoking and warning signs and pictures at the packets of cigarettes doesn’t affect their consumption. Celebrities’ smoking in movies has been found to form a very enchanting view amongst the mind of teenagers that is found to be one of the reasons in their initiation of smoking. Smokers find water pipe/shisha smoking as less health risky as compared to cigarettes and consume shisha during hang outs with friends than in solitude. A positive link is found between the teenagers who smoke with the persons in their household who smokes.