Abstract
Introduction
The World Health Organization reported that tobacco is widely used worldwide in many forms including cigarettes, cigars, snuff, and chewing. The most common form of tobacco used is manufactured cigarettes, which cause high rates of mortality and morbidity. According to the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) 2022, the prevalence of smoking has declined recently from 31.8% (2014) to 20.9% (2022); however, smoking remains a serious public health issue, particularly among men. This study aims to assess the sociodemographic determinants of manufactured cigarette smoking among men in Cambodia.
Methods
This study utilized data from the CDHS 2022, a nationally representative population survey. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling design was used to select samples. We analyzed 8418 weighted samples from men aged 15-49 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with manufactured cigarette smoking, measured as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
The mean age of the male respondents was 30.4 years (SD = 9.5), with an average of 7.0 years of education (SD = 4.1). The overall prevalence of manufactured cigarette smoking was 17.7% (95% CI: 16.4%-19.1%). The mean number of manufactured cigarettes smoked daily was 10.1 (SD = 9.7). Compared with younger individuals, men aged 40--49 years were more likely to smoke manufactured cigarettes with AOR = 6.8 (95% CI: 4.2--11.0). Those who were in the lowest household wealth quintile had greater odds of smoking than those in the highest wealth quintile did (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 2.1--5.0). Individuals with no/low education had greater odds of smoking than those with higher education did (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.3-3.1). On the other hand, no significant difference was found between men living in urban and in rural residences (AOR = 1.1; 95% CI: 0.8-1.4).
Conclusion
These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to further reduce the prevalence of smoking among men in Cambodia. In particular, tobacco prevention programs should target older individuals aged 40-49 years; however, we should increase awareness of the harmful effects of smoking among youth when they start to be exposed and initiate smoking. We also target those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those with lower education.