Smoking Habit of Rural Population of Selected Villages of Gazipur District

Open Access

Abstract

Background: Tobacco consumption is a global public health burden and in Bangladesh, awareness and cessation support is very low particularly for rural population. Objectives This study was conducted to examine the smoking behavioral and associated factors among rural population of selected villages in Gazipur District. Objectives: To assess smoking behavior, prevalence, influencing factors, and knowledge regarding tobacco use among rural populations in Gazipur District, Bangladesh. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the 420 rural respondents selected through purposive sampling technique. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. The variables included socio-demographic characteristics, smoking status, pattern of smoking, factors affecting smoking behavior, spending and adverse impact-related knowledge. Results: A total of 420 members responded, out of which 75 (71.4%) were smokers and 30 (28.6%) were non-smokers. Approximately one-third of respondents were aged between 18–27 years (33.3%), and more participated as male (86.9%). 76.7% of smokers reported daily smoking behavior, and 78.3% consumed 1–10 sticks per day. The strongest influence for start smoking easily was friends (93.3%), and the reason to smoke most commonly was “just fun” (43.3%) and habit (30%). Of them, a high percentage of 68.3% had tried to stop smoking at least once. Conclusions: The overall smoking prevalence was higher in rural area of Gazipur particularly among young adult males. Despite prevalent awareness of health risks, smoking behavior is sustained by peer effect and recreational motivation. Developing cessation support and tailored community awareness interventions for them would be effective in preventing rural tobacco use.