Reduction of tobacco consumption in a rural area with a community based tobacco control program in Bangladesh
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1
National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Bangladesh
2
Ekhlaspur Center of Health (ECOH), Bangladesh
Publication date: 2018-03-01
Tob. Induc. Dis. 2018;16(Suppl 1):A328
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ABSTRACT
Background:
Bangladesh has very high tobacco use rate. Various efforts by the Government
and non-government organizations are being made to reduce the tobacco
consumption both at national and local levels. However, information is scare
about the impact of these efforts on tobacco consumption in Bangladesh.
Methods:
Ekhlaspur
Center of Health (ECOH), non-government health service provider in a village
has been conducting anti-tobacco campaigns for awareness raising and tobacco cessation
program through community health workers since 2008. Two cross-sectional surveys
in 2011 and 2013 with similar methods were done to see the changes in tobacco
use in the village.
Field interviewers visited all households of
the village and randomly selected one adult aged 20 years or more from each household
as respondents. Both smoking and smokeless tobacco use habit were obtained by
an interviewer administered questionnaire.
Results:
Over
all prevalence of tobacco use were 47.7% and 34.6% in 2011and 2013
respectively. Prevalence of smoking declined to 12.7% in 2013 from 22.7% in
2011. Smokeless tobacco uses also declined to 23.9% in 2013 from 30.0% in 2011.
In men smoking prevalence reduced to 24.0% in 2013 from 36.1% in 2011. In men smokeless
tobacco uses increased to 19.5% in 2013 from 14.6% in 2011 where as in female
reduced to 28.1% in 2013 from 29.4% in 2011.
Conclusions:
Tobacco
use decreased markedly in this rural community through aggressive anti-tobacco
campaigns. Changes are likely to reflect the impact of continuous anti-tobacco campaign
by local NGO as well as national government efforts.