Measuring the Level of Knowledge and Awareness of Tobacco Use in Bangladesh

Abstract

Tobacco is identified as leading modifiable global disease risk factor. Bangladesh is one of the largest tobacco consuming countries in the world. The use of tobacco is more prevalent among male population in Bangladesh. Also the use of tobacco is increasing. Therefore the objective of this study is to measure the level of knowledge and awareness of the health consequences of smoking among Bangladeshi adults and its associates. We have used secondary data of size 9629 (Male=4468 and Female=5161) aged 15 years and above collected by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2010. Binary logistic regression model has been used to identify significant correlates of knowledge and awareness of tobacco use in Bangladesh along with descriptive and bivariate analysis. Knowledge of health consequences of tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco user and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) has been analyzed. According to their knowledge, the most common health consequences of tobacco smoking are serious illness 96.61%, lung cancer 94.24%, strokes 85.88% and heart attacks 88.43%. On the other hand, among the smokeless tobacco user 91.05% belief that smokeless tobacco use causes serious illness, 81.68% belief that smokeless tobacco use causes lunch cancer, 97.60% belief it causes stroke, and 71.42% belief it causes heart attack. Among the secondhand smoker 97.60% belief that it causes serious illness. Non- smokeless tobacco user has an equal knowledge on health risks than smokeless tobacco user OR= 1.00 but higher knowledge is found among secondhand smoker OR= 1.57. Current tobacco smoker is less knowledgeable than non-tobacco smoker OR= 0.57 which is statistically significant. For all kind of tobacco use it has been found that educated respondents are more knowledgeable than less educated people. The odds ratios imply that respondent of low wealth index are more likely to be knowledgeable than the respondent of lowest wealth index. Some of awareness policies have been analysed. We have found that tobacco users are more inspired by the marketing policy to use tobacco in the last 30 days than their counter parts. Rural respondents are more inspired to smoking tobacco than urban respondents. Female respondents are less inspired to smoking tobacco than male respondents and they are statistically significant. For tobacco smoking it has been found that educated respondents are more encouraged by the marketing policy to smoking tobacco than less educated people. We have also found that business man (small, large), farmer (land owner & farmer), agricultural /industrial worker/ daily laborer/other self- employed, homemaker /housework and student/other are more inspired by the marketing policy to smoking tobacco than those respondents are employers (Government, Non-Government). The odds ratios imply that respondents of low, middle and high wealth index are more inspired by the marketing policy to tobacco smoking than the respondents of lowest wealth index. For secondhand smoke, we have found that smoking is more allowed at home and job place for respondents who affected by secondhand smoking than their counter part and they are statistically significant. Smoking is more allowed at home and job place for rural respondents than urban respondents and they are statistically significant. Based on educational level it has been found that smoking is less allowed for higher educated respondents at home and job place than less educated respondents and they are statistically significant. We have also found that smoking are more allowed at home and job place for business man (small, large), farmer (land owner & farmer), agricultural /industrial worker/ daily laborer/other self- employed and retired and unemployed (able to work/unable to work) than employers (Government, Non-Government). It has been also found that smoking are less allowed for respondents of low, middle and higher wealth index at home and job place than respondents of lowest wealth index.