Moving toward people's needs for smoke-free restaurants: before and after a national promotion program in Taiwan, 2003-2005

Patterns, prevalence and determinants of environmental tobacco smoke exposure among adults in Bangladesh

Background

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has been suggested as a risk factor for various health problems. Thus, this study examines the patterns and predictors of ETS exposure among adults at home, workplace and public places.

Methods

The dataset covered a nationally representative sample of 9629 respondents extracted from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey. Diamond-shaped equiponderant graphs were used to exhibit the prevalence of ETS. In Logistic regressions, ETS exposure at home, workplace and public places were used as response variables. Demographic and socioeconomic variables, health knowledge about ETS, attitude towards ETS, perception of smoking restrictions were considered as predictors.

Results

Adults in higher age groups and females were less exposed to ETS. Better education, high wealth status, better health knowledge on ETS, practice of no smoking at home, and support smoking restrictions were significantly associated with lower ETS exposure at home. Those residing in rural areas and living with many people together were more likely to be exposed to ETS at home. In contrast with home and workplace exposure, adults with higher education, better wealth status, good knowledge on ETS, and support smoking restrictions experienced a high level of exposure at public places. Interestingly, results suggest that those with high levels of ETS exposure at home and workplace had lower exposure to ETS in public places.

Conclusions

ETS control should not be overlooked in public health policy. Protection from ETS at home is particularly important, given its impact on the attitude towards and awareness about ETS exposure at all places.

Socioeconomic differences in exposure to tobacco smoke pollution (TSP) in Bangladeshi households with children: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Bangladesh Survey

This study assessed the pattern of exposure to tobacco smoke pollution (TSP; also known as, secondhand smoke) in Bangladeshi households with children and examined the variations in household smoking restrictions and perception of risk for children’s exposure to TSP by socioeconomic status. We interviewed 1,947 respondents from Bangladeshi households with children from the first wave (2009) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Bangladesh Survey. 43.5% of the respondents had complete smoking restrictions at home and 39.7% were very or extremely concerned about TSP risk to children’s health. Participants with lower level of education were significantly less likely to be concerned about the risk of TSP exposure to children’s health and less likely to adopt complete smoking restrictions at home. Logistic regression revealed that the predictors of concern for TSP exposure risk were educational attainment of 1 to 8 years (OR = 1.94) or 9 years or more (OR = 4.07) and being a smoker (OR = 0.24). The predictors of having complete household smoking restrictions were: urban residence (OR = 1.64), attaining education of 9 years or more (OR = 1.94), being a smoker (OR = 0.40) and being concerned about TSP exposure risk to children (OR = 3.25). The findings show that a high proportion of adults with children at home smoke tobacco at home and their perceptions of risk about TSP exposure to children’s health were low. These behaviours were more prevalent among rural smokers who were illiterate. There is a need for targeted intervention, customized for low educated public, on TSP risk to children’s health and tobacco control policy with specific focus on smoke-free home.