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Background: Tobacco consumption has been significantly linked to increased mortality and morbidity. It gives rise to several diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, COPD, asthma, and dental problems as well as aggravates other diseases like TB, asbestosis, heart ailments, etc. It is the need of the hour to increase awareness about the adverse effects of tobacco addiction. Objectives: To study awareness regarding harmful effects of tobacco consumption among an urban population of Raipur. Methodology: Data was collected as part of an ongoing cross-sectional study in June 2023 in the Urban Field Practice area of AIIMS Raipur (Ward 24 and 25). Demographic details including age [40-74 years], gender, education, family type, addiction history, etc. were collected. A semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO STEPS survey and GATS survey was used to collect information on tobacco awareness. Results: Data entry was done in Excel and analyzed in SPSS version 21. Among the 200 participants, 54.5% (109) were female and the rest male. The majority of participants belonged to Hindu religion (96.5%), nuclear family type (50%), and OBC caste (54%). About 10.5% of participants were current smokers, most of them male. Smokeless tobacco consumption like gudakhu, gutkha, and pan was more prevalent than smoking, especially in women (29%). Smokeless tobacco consumption was almost equal in both genders. Awareness improved with an increase in educational status and with younger age categories, which were found to be significant. Only 73% of males and 39.4% of females were aware of the harmful health effects of tobacco consumption. Conclusion: Illiteracy and easy accessibility of tobacco products at cheap prices, especially for smokeless tobacco and lack of awareness has led to extensive consumption of these products and hence, efforts must be made in these directions by various measures, such as policies, bans, taxes and health education.

Background: The environmental health status of jail populations poses a significant public health threat for prisoners and the general population. The environment of jails provides a suitable foundation concerning morbidity and mortality of the general population due to the concentrated potential source of infectious diseases, difficult access to treatment for chronic health conditions, interruption in the continuity of care for serious behavioural health conditions, as well as on-going issues for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse disorders. Prisoners should receive a healthcare provision equivalent to people living in the community. Those rights, if fulfilled, will contribute to the process of social rehabilitation and will facilitate further reintegration into society on release. Objective: To analyze the mortality trends in Indian prisons from 2017-2021 and determine associated risk factors. Methodology: The various mortality statistics and associated risk factors were retrieved from the Prison Statistics of India report published annually by the National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs. A literature search was also done in electronic databases like -PubMed, Google Scholar, and other platforms using keywords- mortality in prisons, prison health, and death in Indian jails. Results: The obtained estimates identified an ascending trend in mortality in Indian prisons due to cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, and suicide, accompanied by a rising trend in mental illnesses. Overcrowding, inadequate manpower for healthcare facilities, and poor budget allocation for prison health are some notable causes of rising mortality. Conclusion: The study’s findings revealed that prisoners, despite being a vulnerable section of the population, are deprived of adequate medical facilities due to restrictions imposed by law. Therefore, reducing overcrowding, recruiting adequate manpower for healthcare facilities and adequate budget allocation for prison health shall play an instrumental role in reducing the trend of mental illnesses and mortality in Indian prisons.