Prevalence of Smoking and its Associated Factors among Adolescent Males in Bangladesh: A Community Survey

Abstract

Background: Smoking is considered the symbol of adulthood and a “friend” during stress and loneliness to many adolescent people. It is well established that most adults start tobacco use in late childhood or adolescence. This study aimed to determine the smoking prevalence and its influencing factors among Adolescent males in a selected community in Bangladesh. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2019 among adolescent males in Savar Upazila, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 472 adolescent males were recruited through the household survey using a proportional probability sampling (P.P.S.) procedure. The sociodemographic and smoking information was collected using an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Various statistical analyses were performed. Results: The Prevalence of smoking was 25.0%. The bivariate analysis showed that age, religion, education, occupation, peer influence, and social stigma for the attraction were all associated (P<0.05) with smoking among adolescents. The multivariate analysis revealed that the smoking risk was six times higher (OR=6.46, 95% CI: 3.49-11.98) among the participants who see the smoking habit makes people more attractive and happier, about forty-two times (OR=41.9, 95% CI: 10.1-173.3) among those with a friend who smokes, about twenty times higher (OR=19.89, 95% CI: 9.2-42.8) among those who had a smoker in the family and more than two times higher (OR=2.721, 95% CI: 1.16-6.4) among respondents who had higher secondary & above level of education. Conclusion: In Bangladesh, particularly in rural regions, little is known regarding the incidence of adolescent smoking and associated risk factors. Peer pressure, stress, anxiety, weight loss, copying popular culture, celebrity influence, and tobacco product availability were critical factors in the study participants' decision to smoke. As a result, special regulations and actions should be implemented to curb current adolescent smoking patterns.