Tobacco use and its impact on pulmonary health among elderly population in rural area of Muzaffarnagar - A cross-sectional study

The prevalence of tobacco usage among elderly was 56.7%, in which smoking was the dominant one (37%) and majority being in the form of Bidi (56.7%). Tobacco usage was significantly associated not only with age, sex, and caste (p < 0.05 each), but occupational and socio-economic status (p < 0.01 each) also; however, literacy was the most significant factor (p < 0.0001) among all. The tobacco usage in smoking form was highly significantly associated with the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p < 0.0001), elucidating a significant impact on their pulmonary health. The rural elderly people need health education regarding curtailing the use of tobacco for their better health from health clinics.