Tobacco use, nicotine dependence, and heaviness of smoking index among patients attending psychiatry OPD of a medical college of Haryana.

Background: Tobacco use is a global epidemic which poses a serious health threat to youth and young adults. Smokers mostly acknowledge the harm they are doing to themselves, and yet they continue to smoke because nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Several tools can be used to assess the level of nicotine dependence. This research was planned to study the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use and assess nicotine dependence among patients attending the Psychiatry Out-Patient Department (OPD) of a medical college of Haryana. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 patients visiting Psychiatry OPD. A predesigned, pretested interview schedule was used for data collection, and it included Fagerstrom Tolerance of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI) to assess nicotine dependence among current tobacco users. Results: It was reported that almost a quarter of study participants (28%) were current tobacco users. Bidi (66.66%) followed by hookah (35.71%) was the most commonly used tobacco product. Using FTND and HSI, 27.5% and 23.8% of current smokers, respectively, were found to have a high level of nicotine dependence. HSI and FTND scores of current smokers revealed a strong linear correlation (r = 0.933, P value < 0.01). Conclusion: Our study concludes that the prevalence of current tobacco use in any form was high with the majority of tobacco users being males. We recommend strict implementation of existing laws and legislations regarding tobacco and banning smoking in public places. Tobacco users must be provided with adequate support to quit smoking using a multipronged strategy.