Is tobacco use as a gateway behavioral risk factor? Clustering of health compromising behaviours among urban Indian adolescents & associated inequalities
More details
Hide details
1
Public Health Foundation of India, India
2
University College London, United Kingdom
3
University of Oulu, Finland
4
University of Adelaide, Australia
Publication date: 2018-03-01
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2018;16(Suppl 1):A408
Download abstract book (PDF)
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are majorly associated with four common health compromising behaviours - tobacco use,
physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and harmful use of alcohol. These health
compromising behaviours do not occur in isolation and often tend to co-occur as
clusters. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and clustering of four
behavioural risk factors for NCDs among adolescents and to
assess if socioeconomic inequalities exist in these clustering patterns.
Methods:
A cross sectional study was undertaken among 1,085
adolescents (15-19 year old) in the city of New Delhi, India. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to assess health
compromising behaviours (tobacco use, alcohol use, unhealthy diet and physical
inactivity), and socio-demographic data. Clustering was
assessed using pairwise correlations, counts of clustering of health
compromising behaviours and comparison of observed/ expected ratios. Multivariable
logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between variations in
clustering by self-reported wealth and education of adolescents.
Results:
Two major clusters of health behaviours emerged;
tobacco and alcohol use and tobacco and unhealthy diet, with tobacco use
emerging as a gateway health compromising behaviour. Pronounced clustering of
health compromising behaviours were observed with lower levels of education and
wealth. In the multi-variable regression models, the crude estimates showed
that poorer adolescents were at 2.6 times (95% CI 1.6, 4.2) and 3.4 times (95%
CI 1.9, 6.2) higher odds of having the clustering between tobacco and alcohol
and tobacco and unhealthy diet respectively in comparison to richer
adolescents.
Conclusions:
Tobacco use was the gateway risk behaviour which significantly clustered with other NCD risk behaviours. Clustering of health behaviours was socio-economically patterned. Area of
residence and age modified the associations between clustering of behaviours
and socio-economic position. Targeting interventions to promote positive health
behaviours especially for tobacco control amongst adolescents should be a key public health priority.
CITATIONS (1):
1.
DETERMINANTS OF PREMARITAL SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AMONGST ADOLESCENTS IN INDONESIA
Nadhirul Mundhiro, Ridhwan Fauzi, Mohammad Maruf, Nurfadhilah Nurfadhilah
Jurnal Biometrika dan Kependudukan