Exploring social and environmental factors contributing to smoking initiation among Thai adolescents using advanced feature selection techniques.

Abstract

Introduction: The environment plays a significant role in influencing smoking experiments, which contributes to the emergence of new smokers among Thai adolescents. This research aims to identify the relationship between risk behaviors by identifying the predictors of current tobacco usage based on the characteristics of new smokers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed pooled secondary data from nationally representative surveys conducted between 2004 and 2021 by the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center (TRC) and the National Statistical Office (NSO) of Thailand. The dataset included anonymous responses from 36067 adolescents aged 15-18 years. Smoking status was the dependent variable, categorized into smokers and non-smokers, while independent variables such as geographical location, family and peer influences, and early exposure to smoking were analyzed to identify factors that influence smoking behavior.

Results: The ACBGWO algorithm identified key factors influencing smoking initiation among Thai adolescents aged 15-18 years, including geographical location, family hierarchy, purchasing behavior, environmental exposure, and gender. Smoking prevalence was highest in the Southern region (10.91%) and lowest in the Central region (6.38%). Adolescents who were the third child in a family reported a smoking rate of 8.92%, while those who purchased cigarettes themselves exhibited a 100% prevalence, reflecting weak enforcement of age-related sales regulations. Environmental exposure, such as noticing cigarette butts in fresh food markets, was associated with a prevalence of 11.31%. Gender differences were pronounced, with 15.35% of males smoking compared to 0.37% of females. The algorithm achieved an accuracy of 99.63%, effectively identifying critical predictors, highlighting the need for targeted interventions addressing social, environmental, and regulatory factors.

Conclusions: The study identified geographical location, peer and family influence, and early exposure to smoking as critical predictors of smoking initiation among Thai adolescents. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing these factors to effectively reduce youth smoking initiation in Thailand, despite existing public health measures.