Cigarette smoking prevalence in Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Background: Cigarette smoking is a known risk factor for many diseases. According to WHO there are 5 million deaths per year attributed to smoking. The overall prevalence of cigarette smoking in Bangladesh is 20.5%, whereby it is significantly higher in males (42.2%) than in females (2.3%). The main aim of this study is to identify factors related to cigarette smoking among people living in Dhaka. Furthermore, the status of Dhaka within the worldwide smoking epidemic is classified. Methods: We used baseline data from a prospective cohort study (designed for one year), conducted in Dhaka and adjacent rural areas in March 2008. The variable cigarette smoking status was used as a dependent variable. Statistical analyses, including multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, were performed. Results: The cohort study included 1,062 individuals. The overall cigarette smoking prevalence was 21.6%. The prevalence of smoking among men (35.7%) was about seven times higher than among women (4.9%). Multivariable binary logistic regression revealed significantly lower (p<0.05) odds ratios (OR) of smoking cigarettes among women (OR=0.14; 95% CI=0.07–0.28), people under the age of 19 years (OR=0.14; 95% CI 0.03–0.67), people without rural-urban migration (OR=0.27; 95% CI 0.14–0.54), people without smoking family members (OR=0.02; 95% CI 0.01–0.06) and people with a poor general health (OR=0.39; 95% CI 0.19–0.79). Conclusion: According to our results cigarette smoking is associated with male sex, rural-urban migration, family history of smoking, good general health and being older than 19 years. Because of the high cigarette smoking prevalence among men compared to women, Dhaka (capital of the developing country Bangladesh) is rather located in the early stages of the smoking epidemic, whereas e.g. Germany, as developed country, is already in later stages, with a lower prevalence among men and a higher one among women compared to Dhaka. Especially the male population of Dhaka should be targeted by preventive measures.