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Mistry SK, Ali ARMM, Yadav UN, Huda MN, Ghimire S, Rahman MA, Reza S, Huque R, Rahman MA. Perceived Change in Tobacco Use and Its Associated Factors among Older Adults Residing in Rohingya Refugee Camps during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182312349. [PMID: 34886073 PMCID: PMC8657143 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the perceived change in tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors among older adults residing in Rohingya refugee camps, also referred to as Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh. The study followed a cross-sectional design and was conducted in October 2020 among 416 older adults aged 60 years and above. A purposive sampling technique was applied to identify eligible participants, and face-to-face interviews were conducted using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire to collect the data. Participants were asked if they noted any change in their tobacco use patterns (smoking or smokeless tobacco) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. Binary logistic regression models determined the factors associated with the perceived change in tobacco use. More than one in five participants (22.4%) were current tobacco users, of whom 40.8% reported a perceived increase in tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted analysis revealed that participants who were concerned about COVID-19 had significantly (p < 0.05) lower odds of perceived increase in tobacco use (aOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.06–0.73), while older adults who were overwhelmed by COVID-19 (aOR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.06–1.18) and communicated less frequently with others during the pandemic than before (aOR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.03–1.20) had marginally significantly (p < 0.1) lower odds of perceived increase in tobacco use during this pandemic. Relevant stakeholders, policymakers, and practitioners need to focus on strengthening awareness-raising initiatives as part of an emergency preparedness plan to control tobacco use during such a crisis period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabuj Kanti Mistry
- ARCED Foundation, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh;
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia;
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh
- Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-4068-63358
| | - ARM Mehrab Ali
- ARCED Foundation, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh;
- Global Research and Data Support, Innovations for Poverty Action, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Uday Narayan Yadav
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia;
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
| | - Md. Nazmul Huda
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia;
- The School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Independent University, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
| | - Saruna Ghimire
- Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA;
| | | | - Sompa Reza
- Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh;
| | - Rumana Huque
- Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh;
- ARK Foundation, Gulshan, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Muhammad Aziz Rahman
- School of Health, Federation University Australia, Berwick, VIC 3350, Australia;
- Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS), Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
- Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia
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