Association between Carbon monoxide level and Tobacco Abstinence Level among Construction workers in Chennai city- An Longitudinal Study

Background: Despite reductions in prevalence in recent years, tobacco smoking remains one of the main preventable causes of ill-health and premature death worldwide.Tobacco smoking increases the risk of contracting a wide range of diseases, many of which are fatal.The aim of the study is to assess the association between carbon monoxide level, tobacco abstinence level and compliance towards tobacco cessation among construction workers.Materials and Method: A longitudinal study with 375 male construction workers aged 20 to 60 years was studied with information about demographic details, cigarette smoking, using smokeless tobacco.The primary outcome was to report their abstinence level at the end of 2 years.Results: Of the 375 participants most of the participants were in the age group of 31 to 40 years (39.4%).At the age group of 31 to 40 years 20% of the participants used again smokeless tobacco which was the highest among all the age group.For smokers, among the age group of 31 to 40 years 10.93% had medium dependence, for smokeless users, among the age group of 21 to 30years 7.47% had low dependence.The abstinence level at the end of 2 years for smoking was 2.14±0.77,smokeless (2.20±0.72).The p value was statistically significant.Conclusion: Exhaled CO measurements may provide a non-invasive, sensitive, and immediate way of assessing a patient's smoking status.Determination of exhaled CO level >6.5 ppm strongly suggests that the subject is a smoker e29