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Adolescent tobacco use and health in Southeast Asia

Al-Sadat N, Misau AY, Zarihah Z, Maznah D, Tin Tin Su

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2010 Jul;22(3 Suppl):175S-180S.
PMID: 20566551 DOI: 10.1177/1010539510372835

The use of tobacco by adolescents is a major public health concern worldwide. There are 1.2 billion smokers globally, of which more than 50% are young people. The Southeast Asian countries have about 600 million tobacco smokers within the global burden of tobacco users. Most smokers begin at early stage of life and persist through adulthood. Malaysia alone has about 5 million smokers, 20% of whom are younger than 18 years old. Many factors are implicated in the continuous rising trend of tobacco use among adolescents in Southeast Asia. A triad of family, environmental, and individual factors synergistically acts to motivate adolescents toward smoking. This article discusses the current trends of tobacco use and implications of increasing rise in adolescent smoking in the Southeast Asia region.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Socio-economic variations in tobacco consumption, intention to quit and self-efficacy to quit among male smokers in Thailand and Malaysia: results from the International Tobacco Control-South-East Asia (ITC-SEA) survey

Siahpush M, Borland R, Yong HH, Kin F, Sirirassamee B

Addiction, 2008 Mar;103(3):502-8.
PMID: 18269370 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.02113.x

Aim To examine the association of socio-economic position (education, income and employment status) with cigarette consumption, intention to quit and self-efficacy to quit among male smokers in Thailand and Malaysia. Design and setting The data were based on a survey of adult smokers conducted in early 2005 in Thailand and Malaysia as part of the International Tobacco Control-South-East Asia (ITC-SEA) project. Participants A total of 1846 men in Thailand and 1906 men in Malaysia. Measurement Participants were asked questions on daily cigarette consumption, intention to quit and self-efficacy to quit in face-to-face interviews. Findings Analyses were based on multivariate regression models that adjusted for all three socio-economic indicators. In Thailand, higher level of education was associated strongly with not having self-efficacy, associated weakly with having an intention to quit and was not associated with cigarette consumption. Higher income was associated strongly with having self-efficacy, associated weakly with high cigarette consumption and was not associated with having an intention to quit. Being employed was associated strongly with having an intention to quit and was not associated with cigarette consumption or self-efficacy. In Malaysia, higher level of education was not associated with any of the outcomes. Higher income was associated strongly with having self-efficacy, and was not associated with the other outcomes. Being employed was associated moderately with higher cigarette consumption and was not associated with the other outcomes. Conclusion Socio-economic and cultural conditions, as well as tobacco control policies and tobacco industry activities, shape the determinants of smoking behaviour and beliefs. Existing knowledge from high-income countries about disparities in smoking should not be generalized readily to other countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Smoking among young urban Malaysian women and its risk factors

Manaf RA, Shamsuddin K

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2008;20(3):204-13.
PMID: 19124314 DOI: 10.1177/1010539508316973

This study was conducted to measure the prevalence of cigarette smoking and to determine the individual, family, and environmental factors associated with smoking among young urban women. A cross-sectional study through self-administered questionnaire was conducted on female students enrolled in private higher learning institutions in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia, between July and October 2005. Analysis on 408 respondents showed that current smoker prevalence rate was 18.6%. Adjusted analyses showed significant association between smoking and individual factors, which are the importance of slim image, average monthly allowance, and car ownership. For family factors, analyses showed significant association between smoking and parental marital status and smoking status of male siblings. Strong associations were seen between female smoking and environmental factors, such as having more smoker friends, having smokers as best friends, keeping cigarette-brand items, being offered free cigarette, and perceiving female smoking as normal. The identified risk factors could be used to develop more effective prevention programs to overcome smoking among young urban women.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Patterns of smoking among adolescents in Malaysia and Thailand: findings from the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia survey

Hammond D, Kin F, Prohmmo A, Kungskulniti N, Lian TY, Sharma SK, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2008;20(3):193-203.
PMID: 19124313 DOI: 10.1177/1010539508317572

At present, 70% of the world's 1.1 billion smokers are in developing countries, with over 50% in Asia alone. The current study examined patterns of youth smoking in Thailand and Malaysia. Respondents were 2002 youths between the ages of 13 and 17 from Thailand (n = 1000) and Malaysia (n = 1002). Respondents were selected using a multistage cluster sampling design and surveyed between January 2005 and March 2005. Approximately 3% of youth between the ages of 13 and 17 were current smokers, with an additional 10% to 12% reporting experimental smoking. Males were between 7 and 15 times more likely to report smoking behavior than females. Less than 1% of females respondents in either country met the criteria for current smoking, and less than 5% met the criteria for experimental smoking. In contrast, more than 50% Thai males and approximately one-third of Malaysian males aged 17 met the criteria for either experimental or current smoking.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Prevalence of smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students in Petaling District, Selangor

Afiah MZ, Hejar AR, Kulanthayan KC, Fadhilah J, Law TH

Med J Malaysia, 2006 Mar;61(1):41-7.
PMID: 16708733 MyJurnal

Smoking and alcohol intake patterns may persist from adolescence to adulthood. The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence and factors associated with smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in January 2003 among Form Six students from government schools in the Petaling District, Selangor. A hundred and thirty six self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students selected through multistage stratified sampling. Response rate in this study was 90.1% (136/151). The respondents were mainly Chinese 60 (44.1%) and female 88 (64.7%). The prevalence of smoking was 22.8%, whereas the prevalence of alcohol intake was 47.8%. Only 33.1% of the respondents practiced undetermined activities and 1.5% have undetermined characters. There were significant associations between smoking and males (Adjusted OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.02-6.43) and smoking and alcohol intake (Adjusted OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.11-6.78). Alcohol intake has significant negative association with Malays (Adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.03-0.27). Smoking habits among adolescents were associated with males and alcohol intake. However, only alcohol intake was negatively associated with Malays. Program interventions to reduce behavioral problems, particularly smoking and alcohol intake should be emphasized.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Association of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions and smoking with lung cancer mortality rates on a global scale

Motorykin O, Matzke MM, Waters KM, Massey Simonich SL

Environ Sci Technol, 2013 Apr 2;47(7):3410-6.
PMID: 23472838 DOI: 10.1021/es305295d

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between lung cancer mortality rates, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions, and smoking on a global scale, as well as for different socioeconomic country groups. The estimated lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people (ED100000) and age standardized lung cancer death rate per 100,000 people (ASDR100000) in 2004 were regressed on PAH emissions in benzo[a]pyrene equivalence (BaPeq), smoking prevalence, cigarette price, gross domestic product per capita, percentage of people with diabetes, and average body mass index using simple and multiple linear regression for 136 countries. Using stepwise multiple linear regression, a statistically significant positive linear relationship was found between loge(ED100000) and loge(BaPeq) emissions for high (p-value <0.01) and for the combination of upper-middle and high (p-value <0.05) socioeconomic country groups. A similar relationship was found between loge(ASDR100000) and loge(BaPeq) emissions for the combination of upper-middle and high (p-value <0.01) socioeconomic country groups. Conversely, for loge(ED100000) and loge(ASDR100000), smoking prevalence was the only significant independent variable in the low socioeconomic country group (p-value <0.001). These results suggest that reducing BaPeq emissions in the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Poland, Mexico, and Malaysia could reduce ED100000, while reducing smoking prevalence in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nepal, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh could significantly reduce the ED100000 and ASDR100000.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Emotional and behavioral problems among adolescent smokers and their help-seeking behavior

Muthupalaniappen L, Omar J, Omar K, Iryani T, Hamid SN

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2012 Sep;43(5):1273-9.
PMID: 23431837

We carried out a cross sectional study to detect emotional and behavioral problems among adolescents who smoke and their help-seeking behavior. This study was conducted in Sarawak, East Malaysia, between July and September 2006. Emotional and behavioral problems were measured using the Youth Self-Report (YSR/11-18) questionnaire; help seeking behavior was assessed using a help-seeking questionnaire. Three hundred ninety-nine students participated in the study; the smoking prevalence was 32.8%. The mean scores for emotional and behavioral problems were higher among smokers than non-smokers in all domains (internalizing, p = 0.028; externalizing, p = 0.001; other behavior, p = 0.001). The majority of students who smoked (94.7%) did not seek help from a primary health care provider for their emotional or behavioral problems. Common barriers to help-seeking were: the perception their problems were trivial (60.3%) and the preference to solve problems on their own (45.8%). Our findings suggest adolescent smokers in Sarawak, East Malaysia were more likely to break rules, exhibit aggressive behavior and have somatic complaints than non-smoking adolescents. Adolescent smokers preferred to seek help for their problems from informal sources. Physicians treating adolescents should inquire about smoking habits, emotional and behavioral problems and offer counseling if required.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Prevalence of cigarette smoking and associated factors among secondary school teachers in Malaysia

Al-Naggar RA, Jawad AA, Bobryshev YV

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(11):5539-43.
PMID: 23317214

OBJECTIVE: The smoking prevalence in Malaysia is high, especially among men and adolescents. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors towards cigarette smoking among school teachers in Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY: This study was a school-based cross-sectional study conducted among 495 secondary school teachers. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of 29 questions categorized into two sections: socio-demographic characteristics and smoking behaviour. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program 13.0. ANOVA; t-tests were used in univariate analysis; multiple linear regression was applied for multivariate analysis.
RESULTS: The majority of the participants were female (81.6%), in the age group ranged between 30-39 years (44%), Malay (90.1%), married (89.7%), degree holders (85.1%), with monthly income ranged between 3000-3999 Ringgit Malaysia (33.5%), from urban areas (94.7%), their specialty is social studies (33.9%) and with no family history of cancer (83.6%). The prevalence of smoking among school teachers in Malaysia was found to be 7.8%. Regarding reasons to start smoking among school teachers: the major reason was found to be relaxation (33.3%), followed by stress-relief (28.2%). Univariate analysis showed that sex, educational status, monthly income and residency were significantly associated with smoking among school teachers (p<0.001, p=0.004, p=0.031, p=0.010; respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that gender and marital status were significantly associated with smoking among school teachers (p<0.001, p=0.033; respectively).
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of smoking among school teachers in Malaysia was found to be relatively low. Sex, marital status, educational status, monthly income and residency were significantly associated with smoking among school teachers.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
An international comparison of women's occupational health issues in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore: the CIDA-SEAGEP study

Choi BC

Occup Med (Lond), 2005 Oct;55(7):515-22.
PMID: 16174662

An international comparison study of women's occupational health issues was carried out in 2000 for the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore. The study was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency's Southeast Asia Gender Equity Program.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology
Effect of Religious Beliefs on the Smoking Behaviour of University Students: Quantitative Findings From Malaysia

Elkalmi RM, Alkoudmani RM, Elsayed TM, Ahmad A, Khan MU

J Relig Health, 2016 Dec;55(6):1869-75.
PMID: 26429730 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-015-0136-0

The Malaysian official Islamic authorities have issued a "fatwa" (Islamic ruling) regarding smoking practice which prohibits Muslims from smoking because of its potential harm to health. Since the prevalence of smoking among Malaysian students is high, this study was designed to explore the perceptions and opinions of Malaysian Muslim students towards smoking in International Islamic University of Malaysia. A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among School of Science students in International Islamic University Malaysia. Convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 323 students based on sample size calculation. A content- and face-validated questionnaire was used to collect the data from the participants. Non-smokers highly supported the fatwa on smoking forbiddance than smokers (94 vs 64.3 %, p = 0.001). A significant proportion of non-smokers believed that Islam prohibits smoking because of its potential harm (94.9 vs 71.4 %, p = 0.001). Majority of smokers agreed that addiction is the main barrier towards smoking cessation (78.6 vs 61.5 %, p = 0.019). The results showed positive influences of Islamic beliefs on the non-smokers. Further studies are required to validate these findings by surveying other universities of Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Risk and Protective Factors for Cigarette Use in Young Adolescents in a School Setting: What Could Be Done Better?

Dahlui M, Jahan NK, Majid HA, Jalaludin MY, Murray L, Cantwell M, et al.

PLoS One, 2015;10(6):e0129628.
PMID: 26068668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129628

Smoking among Malaysian adolescents remains a public health concern despite concerted efforts in tobacco control. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence and determinants of current-smoking status in young adolescents. This cross sectional study used the first round of the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Research Team's prospective cohort study. It was conducted in three States of the Central and Northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia between March and May 2012. The study used the multistage stratified sampling design. A total of 1,342 adolescents of both sexes, aged 12-13 years, were sampled from randomly selected urban and rural national schools. Information on current smoking status and associated factors were collected by a self-administered, pre-tested, validated, structured questionnaire. Seven percent of the samples were current-smokers; the majority (62%) of them started smoking at the age of 11 years or below. The prevalence of current smoking was significantly higher in males (odds ratio [OR] = 2.37; 95% CI: 1.46, 3.84), those who were influenced by smoker friends (OR = 8.35; 95% CI: 4.90, 14.25), who were unaware of the health risks of smoking (OR =1.85; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.36) and who reported a lack of satisfaction about their overall life (OR =3.26; 95% CI: 1.73, 6.12). The study findings provide valuable information to strengthen the existing school-based smoking prevention program through integration of social competence and social influence curricula. The program should empower the young adolescents to refuse tobacco offers, to overcome social influences and to resist peer pressure to avoid starting smoking. Particular focuses to include mental health service to prevent both emotional and behavioural problems are needed.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext Prevalence and social determinants of smoking in 15 countries from North Africa, Central and Western Asia, Latin America and Caribbean: Secondary data analyses of demographic and health surveys

Sreeramareddy CT, Pradhan PM

PLoS One, 2015;10(7):e0130104.
PMID: 26131888 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130104

BACKGROUND: Article 20 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls for a cross-country surveillance of tobacco use through population-based surveys. We aimed to provide country-level prevalence estimates for current smoking and current smokeless tobacco use and to assess social determinants of smoking.
METHODS: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys done between 2005 and 2012, among men and women from nine North African, Central and West Asian countries and six Latin American and Caribbean countries were analyzed. Weighted country-level prevalence rates were estimated for 'current smoking' and 'current use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products' among men and women. In each country, social determinants of smoking among men and women were assessed by binary logistic regression analyses by including men's and women's sampling weights to account for the complex survey design.
FINDINGS: Prevalence of smoking among men was higher than 40% in Armenia (63.1%), Moldova (51.1%), Ukraine (52%), Azerbaijan (49.8 %), Kyrgyz Republic (44.3 %) and Albania (42.52%) but the prevalence of smoking among women was less than 10% in most countries except Ukraine (14.81%) and Jordan (17.96%). The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among men and women was less than 5% in all countries except among men in the Kyrgyz Republic (10.6 %). Smoking was associated with older age, lower education and poverty among men and higher education and higher wealth among women. Smoking among both men and women was associated with unskilled work, living in urban areas and being single.
CONCLUSION: Smoking among men was very high in Central and West Asian countries. Social pattern of smoking among women that was different from men in education and wealth should be considered while formulating tobacco control policies in some Central and West Asian countries.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Tobacco and the Commonwealth: a call to action

Krishnan P, Mungherera M, Jones SB

Lancet, 2003 May 17;361(9370):1669-70.
PMID: 12767730 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)13381-8
Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Fulltext A community based study on the prevalence and factors affecting smoking in Kampong Jenderam Hilir, Sepang, Selangor

Rampal L, Narasimman S

Med J Malaysia, 2003 Mar;58(1):54-61.
PMID: 14556326 MyJurnal

Objectives: i) To determine the prevalence of smoking among the community aged 15 and above in Kg. Jenderam Hilir in Sepang District, Selangor state. ii) To determine the relationship between smoking and age, sex, household income and education. iii) To determine the parental and peer influence on smoking in Kg Jenderam Hilir.
Materials and Methods: A study was conducted to Kg Jenderam Hilir, Sepang. All residents aged 15 years and above from all the 381 households of Kg Jenderam Hilir were included in this study. A standardized pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in this study.
Results: Out of 894 respondents interviewed 69% were males compared to 3.9% of the females (overall 33.6%) reported to have smoked at least once in his/her lifetime. The difference was statistically significant. The mean duration of smoking was 17.7 years. The age at which smoking was first attempted ranged from 4 years to 51 years with a mean of 18.7 years. The mean initiation age for the males was significantly lower as compared to the mean initiation age for the females. The prevalence of current smokers was significantly higher amongst males (52.8%) as compared to the females (1.4%). The prevalence of smoking among current smokers increased with age (p<0.01). there was no significant difference in the prevalence of smoking by household income and educational level. The mean number of cigarettes smoked by current smokers per day was 14.9 cigarettes and ranged from 1 to 60 cigarettes. The mean number of cigarettes smoked by the males was significantly higher than the females (p<0.05). the mean duration of smoking among current smokers was 20 years. There was a significant difference in the level of addiction to smoking and the duration of smoking (p<0.05). sixty five percent of the current smokers reported to have tried to quit smoking while 26% of ever smokers had reported to quit smoking and remained non-smokers. The quit ratio was calculated to be 26.0%. the quit ratio was 52.6% among those with college or university education. There was a significant difference in the quit ratio by education level (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in smokers whose parents were smokers as compared to non-smokers whose parents were smokers. However, there was a significant association between smoking and peer influence (p<0.01).

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Smoking habits and attitudes among secondary school teachers

Yaacob I, Harun MH

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1994 Mar;25(1):74-9.
PMID: 7825029

A questionnaire survey to study the smoking habits and attitudes toward smoking among secondary school teachers in Kelantan, Malaysia was conducted between July and September 1992. Questionnaires were sent to 5,112 teachers through their respective headmasters. Sixty-three percent (3,208 teachers; 61% males, 39% females) responded satisfactorily. Overall, 625 teachers (20%) were current smokers, 141 (4%) were occasional smokers, 317 (10%) were ex-smokers and 2,123 (67%) had never smoked. Only six (0.8%) of the 766 regular and occasional smokers were females. The rates of smoking among parents and siblings of smokers were higher than parents and siblings of non-smokers. Seventy-four percent of the smoking teachers admitted to smoking in the school premises. The teachers' attitudes about the health effects of smoking were statistically different between smokers and non-smokers. However, both smoking and non-smoking teachers had similar views regarding methods to control the smoking habit which included banning cigarette sales, putting a halt to the tobacco industry and banning cigarette advertisements.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*
Multiplicative effect of smoking and age on hearing impairment

Noorhassim I, Rampal KG

Am J Otolaryngol, 1998 8 6;19(4):240-3.
PMID: 9692632

PURPOSE: To determine the combined effect of smoking and age on hearing impairment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pure tone audiometry test was conducted on 263 residents of a rural village who were not exposed to noise. The pack-years of smoking were computed from the subjects' smoking history. The association between pack-years and hearing impairment was assessed. The combined effect of smoking and age on hearing impairment was determined based on prevalence rate ratio.
RESULTS: There was a statistically significant trend in the number of pack-years of smoking and age as risk factors for hearing impairment. The prevalence rates of hearing impairment for nonsmokers aged 40 years and younger, smokers aged 40 years and younger, nonsmokers older than 40 years of age, and smokers older than 40 years of age were 6.9%, 11.9%, 29.7%, and 51.3%, respectively. The prevalence rate ratio for nonsmokers aged 40 years and younger, smokers aged 40 years and younger, nonsmokers older than 40 years of age, and smokers older than 40 years of age (nonsmokers aged 40 years and younger as a reference group) was 1, 1.7, 4.3, and 7.5, respectively. The prevalence rate ratios showed a multiplicative effect of smoking and age on hearing impairment.
CONCLUSION: Age and smoking are risk factors for hearing impairment. It is clear that smoking and age have multiplicative adverse effects on hearing impairment.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology
Fulltext Prevalence of asthma and risk factors among Chinese, Malay, and Indian adults in Singapore

Ng TP, Hui KP, Tan WC

Thorax, 1994 Apr;49(4):347-51.
PMID: 8202905

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and morbidity of asthma vary greatly among different ethnic communities and geographical locations, but the roles of environmental and genetic factors are not fully understood. The differences in prevalence of adult asthma among Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnic groups in Singapore were examined, and the extent to which these could be explained by personal and environmental factors were investigated.
METHODS: A stratified disproportionate random sample (n = 2868) of Chinese (n = 1018), Malays (n = 967), and Indians (n = 883) of both sexes was drawn from households in five public housing estates, and an interviewer administered questionnaire was used to determine cumulative and current prevalence of "physician diagnosed asthma" (symptoms with a physician diagnosis of asthma).
RESULTS: Lifetime cumulative prevalence (standardised to the general population) of "physician diagnosed asthma" was 4.7% in men and 4.3% in women; 12 month period prevalences were 2.4% and 2.0%, respectively. Cumulative prevalence of asthma was significantly higher in Indians (6.6%) and Malays (6.0%) than in Chinese (3.0%); period prevalences of asthma were 4.5% in Indians, 3.3% in Malays, and 0.9% in Chinese. Ownership of cats or dogs was more frequent in Malays (15.4%) and Indians (11.2%) than in Chinese (8.8%). Rugs and carpets were also more frequently used by Malays (52.2%) and Indians (40.7%) than by Chinese (8.9%). Current smoking prevalences were higher in Malays (27.3%) than in Indians (19.4%) and Chinese (23.0%). Malays and Indians did not have higher rates of atopy (11.1% and 15.2%, respectively) than Chinese (15.4%). Adjustment for these factors in multivariate analyses reduced the greater odds of asthma in Malays and Indians, but not to a significant extent.
CONCLUSIONS: There are ethnic differences in the prevalence of asthma in Singapore which are not entirely explained by differences in smoking, atopy, or other risk factors. Other unmeasured environmental factors or genetic influences are likely to account for residual differences in the prevalence of asthma.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology
Smoking behavior, knowledge and opinion of medical students

Yaacob I, Abdullah ZA

Asia Pac J Public Health, 1994;7(2):88-91.
PMID: 7946655 DOI: 10.1177/101053959400700202

A questionnaire survey on smoking was conducted among 395 medical students (40% males, 60% females) at the School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia at Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. Thirty-five students (9%), all of them males, were current smokers. Twenty-eight percent of the smokers smoked more than ten cigarettes per day and 88% began smoking before entering the medical school. Social influence and cigarette advertisements were the main reasons given for starting smoking. Both smokers and nonsmokers were adequately informed of the common adverse effects of smoking. Ninety percent of smokers had tried to give up smoking but failed. Among the ex-smokers and nonsmokers, the main reasons given for not smoking was that smoking was useless. Among the female students, one-third felt that cigarette smoking was socially unacceptable among females. This was one of the three main reasons for not smoking. Very few of the students (4.6%) considered that doctors' advice would play an important role in smoking prevention.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology
Prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions in out-patients at two Malaysian and Thai dental schools

Axéll T, Zain RB, Siwamogstham P, Tantiniran D, Thampipit J

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol, 1990 Apr;18(2):95-9.
PMID: 2335069

At the Faculties of Dentistry in Chiang Mai, Thailand (CM), and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KL), 234 and 233 consecutive out-patients of mean ages 33.8 and 31.0 yr, respectively, were examined for the presence of oral mucosal lesions. Tobacco in some form was regularly used by 31.7% and 27.5% of the study populations in CM and KL, respectively. Cigarette smoking was the predominant habit. In CM three persons chewed betel quids and nine smoked banana leaf cigars daily. In addition, there were 24 habitual chewers of tea leaves (miang). In KL six persons chewed betel quids daily. In CM and KL three cases each (1.3%) of tobacco-associated leukoplakias were found. In KL an additional idiopathic leukoplakia was registered. One and three cases of betel related lesions were found in CM and KL, respectively. One case of a squamous cell carcinoma was found in a 45-yr-old Indian woman in KL who had been chewing betel with tobacco daily for many years. High prevalence figures were found for lichen planus, 3.8% in CM and 2.1% in KL, and an extremely high one, 48.3%, in CM for episodes of aphthous ulcers experienced during the last 2 yr. Comparatively low prevalence figures were found for herpes labialis. As could be expected melanin pigmentation was prevalent while only low figures were encountered for denture-related lesions and amalgam tattoos.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology
Association between cigarette smoking and prevalence of oral mucosal lesions among Malaysian army personnel

Zain RB, Razak IA

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol, 1989 Jun;17(3):148-9.
PMID: 2786793

The association between cigarette smoking and the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions was examined in 495 Malaysian army personnel. No associations between cigarette smoking and recurrent aphthous ulcerations, pre-leukoplakia and frictional keratosis could be obtained in this study. Positive associations were found between cigarette smoking and leukoedema as well as denture stomatitis. There was a negative association between cigarette smoking and the presence of coated tongue.

Matched MeSH terms: Smoking/epidemiology*

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