Effectiveness of Individual and Group Counseling for Cessation of Tobacco Habit Amongst Industrial Workers in Pimpri, Pune - An Interventional Study

Background: In India, tobacco consumption is responsible for one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, the annual oral cancer incidence is steadily increasing among young tobacco users. Studies have documented efforts taken by physicians, doctors and even dentists, in the form of individual or group counseling to curb tobacco use in smoke or smokeless form. However, which one is more effective, still remains an unanswered question. The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of individual and group counseling for cessation of the tobacco habit amongst industrial workers in Pune and to compare quit rates. Materials and methods: An interventional study design was selected for 150 industrial workers which were stratified randomly into three groups (control, individual and group counseling groups) and interventions were provided to individual and group counseling groups over a period of six months, which were then compared with the control group that received brief intervention at the start of the study. Results: There was significant difference in the quit rates of the participants in the individual counseling group (ICG) and group counseling group (GCG) when compared at 6 months with the control counseling group (CCG). In the individual counseling group was 6% while in group counseling group it was 7.5% after six months of counseling. Conclusions: No conclusion could be drawn whether individual or group counseling were better interms of quit rates. Individual and group counseling groups were definitely better than the control group when compared at 3 and 6 months, respectively.