Assessing the level of nicotine dependence in smokers in Chennai city using fagerstorm dependence score: a questionnaire study

Aim and Objectives: Aim of this study is to evaluate smoking dependency among individuals of varying ages living in Chennai and analyse them based on Fagerstrom’s scale and other factors like economic status and religion. Materials and method: The study involved 60 chronic smokers age 15-60 years residing in Chennai, Tamil Nadu who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, the first part inquired about the person’s demographic data and the second part consists of a series of questions that was based on Fagerstrom Scale and the third part consists of four questions regarding smoking habits of people at home. The questions also inquired about the pictorial health warnings displayed on the cigarette packets. Results: Chi-square is statistically significant showing that there is a strong association between fagerstorm dependence score and total number of cigarettes smoked. No association between fagerstorm score and socio-economic status observed. Conclusion: The results derived from the study showed that people start smoking at an early age of 15 and over 50% were dependent on smoking at regular intervals .This indicates that dire measures should be undertaken to create a more pronounced impact on the public to help reduce the overall smoking levels and promote the living of a healthier and a longer lifetime.