| Summary: | Introduction
Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people in the world smoke tobacco
products, of which more than 8 million die annually. A disproportionate number
of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries like Thailand. Over
19% (10.7 million) of the Thai population aged ≥15 years were estimated to be
smokers; of these, 7.8% were aged 15–18 years. Nearly 1 in 10 Thai students is
a current tobacco user; about 20% of these smokers had initiated smoking before
their 10th birthday. This shows that early smoking initiation among Thai youths
is indeed a public health problem. This study was conducted to examine the
factors associated with smoking initiation among adolescents from low-income
backgrounds.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted among youth aged 15–18 years
living in low-cost housing estates in Nakhon Pathom province between 1
December 2019 and 30 July 2020. A total of 290 participants were recruited by
stratified random sampling. A proprietary questionnaire was used to collect the
data, which were analyzed by binary logistic regression.
Results
Risk factors for smoking initiation were having one or both parents deceased
(OR=2.28; 95% CI: 1.218–3.471, p=0.001), having divorced parents (OR=1.67;
95% CI: 1.158–2.509, p=0.013), and poor academic performance (OR=2.50; 95%
CI: 0.133–3.551, p=0.032). Protective factors were having knowledge of cigarettes
(OR=0.65; 95% CI: 0.179–0.895, p=0.004) and correct perception of legal public
smoking places (OR=0.45; 95% CI: 0.140–0.850, p=0.025).
Conclusions
To curb the risks of early smoking initiation among youths of lowincome
backgrounds, both education and health authorities need to collaboratively
design interventions tailored to raise awareness of the negative health impacts
of tobacco, improve the performance of underperforming students, and meet
the social needs of students whose parents are either deceased or separated to
improve their social ties.
|
|---|