Introduction:
Tobacco use is a serious public health concern affecting the youth and adolescents world over. A vast majority of tobacco users initiate well before the age of 18 years. Due to enormous psychosocial and health effects of tobacco on adolescence and youth, it is pertinent to understand the burden of tobacco use and its socio-demographic correlates for formulating effective tobacco control measures.

Objectives:
The present study analyzes the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016-17 (GATS-2); a) To estimate the prevalence of individual forms of tobacco use among adolescents and youth aged 15-24 years; and b) To assess the association of socio-demographic factors with tobacco use.

Methods:
The source of data was a cross-sectional GATS-2 survey in India (analyzed in SPSSv17.0) which utilized a multistage, geographically stratified cluster sampling method. Unadjusted Odds ratio was calculated for evaluation of possible association with socio-demographic factors, and adjusted Odds Ratio (bivariate logistic regression analysis) identified independent factor correlation (adjusted for confounding factors) (95% CI, *p<0.05).

Results:
There were 13329 respondents (44.9% boys and 55.1% girls) aged 15-24 years. The calculated prevalence of smoking and smokeless tobacco use were 5% and 10.9% respectively. There were 2% respondents reporting dual use. Overall, 11.9% respondents were using \'any\' form of tobacco (one in eight). On comparison with socio-demographic factors, the odds of using \'any\' tobacco was significantly higher among respondents aged 20-24 years [OR: 2 (1.76-2.77)], rural areas [OR: 1.36 (1.2-1.54)], and unmarried [OR: 1.56 (1.37-1.88)]. The odds of using \'any\' form of tobacco was significantly lower among females [OR: 0.21 (0.19-0.24)], literate individuals [OR: 0.33 (0.29-0.37)] and unemployed/students/retired/homemakers (occupation) [OR: 0.44 (0.39-0.50)].

Conclusion(s):
The overall tobacco use of approx. 12% among 15-24 year olds is a matter of concern. Also, many socio-demographic factors were significantly associated to tobacco use, implying the need for targeted intervention strategies to combat the situation.