Sources of cigarettes for youth smokers in Malaysia: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022: Adolescents Health Survey (AHS).
IF 2.2 4区 医学Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Kuang Hock Lim, Yoon Ling Cheong, Kuang Kuay Lim, Jia Hui Lim, Hamizatul Akmal Abdul Hamid, Mohd Ruhaizie Riyadzi, Sumarni Mohd Ghazali, Chee Cheong Kee, Cheah Yong Kang, Chong Shao Hui, Ali Aman Marine, Mohd Hazilas Mat Hashim, Hui Li Lim
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Developing effective intervention programs to lower adolescent smoking requires a thorough understanding of the sources and methods of youth tobacco product acquisition. This study aimed to identify the sources of cigarettes and related variables among adolescent smokers in Malaysian schools using the latest national data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey: Adolescents Health (NHMS: AHS) 2022.
Methods: We conducted the NHMS 2022: AHS to obtain a representative sample of school-age teenagers via a cross-sectional study design and a multi-stage sampling approach. We selected 1934 school-going adolescents aged 13-17 years who have smoked at least once in the previous 30 days from a total of 33523 respondents in the study. Data were collected from the participants using a pre-validated self-administered questionnaire. The analysis involved calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Furthermore, we examined potential two-way interactions between the independent variables.
Results: The study found that 6.2% (95% CI: 5.9-6.6) of teenagers in schools are currently smoking, with a notably higher percentage of male to female current smokers (10.8% vs 1.6%). Approximately 23.1% of current smokers are frequent smokers. Almost three-quarters of current smokers obtained their cigarettes from fixed premises (38.9%), and that friends (34.9%) were the primary sources of cigarettes among adolescents. The data show that more than half (59.7%, 95% CI: 57.0-62.4) of current smokers obtained cigarettes from commercial sources.
Conclusions: The study found that a notably more significant proportion of adolescent smokers obtained their cigarettes from commercial vendors compared to their friends. These finding implies that increased law enforcement and health promotion programs are needed to lower the incidence of adolescent smoking in Malaysia.
期刊介绍:
Tobacco Induced Diseases encompasses all aspects of research related to the prevention and control of tobacco use at a global level. Preventing diseases attributable to tobacco is only one aspect of the journal, whose overall scope is to provide a forum for the publication of research articles that can contribute to reducing the burden of tobacco induced diseases globally. To address this epidemic we believe that there must be an avenue for the publication of research/policy activities on tobacco control initiatives that may be very important at a regional and national level. This approach provides a very important "hands on" service to the tobacco control community at a global scale - as common problems have common solutions. Hence, we see ourselves as "connectors" within this global community.
The journal hence encourages the submission of articles from all medical, biological and psychosocial disciplines, ranging from medical and dental clinicians, through health professionals to basic biomedical and clinical scientists.