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

Abstract

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.

Determinants of Tobacco Cessation Behaviour among Smokers and Smokeless Tobacco Users in the States of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, India

“…Our study finding of education (primary/secondary) to be a significant predictor of quit attempts for smokers in disaggregated analysis as well as for tobacco users in combined analysis is aligned to similar findings reported from western countries (Hatziandreu et al, 1990;Lee and Kahende, 2000) and also South East Asia (Siahpush, 2008). However, in our study smokeless tobacco users did not show an influence of education which is similar to the European CEASE study (Monso, 2001) and ITC-South East Asia study on Malaysian sample (Siahpush et al, 2008) which did not find education to have a significant effect on outcome.…”

“…However, in our study smokeless tobacco users did not show an influence of education which is similar to the European CEASE study (Monso, 2001) and ITC-South East Asia study on Malaysian sample (Siahpush et al, 2008) which did not find education to have a significant effect on outcome. Our study found that higher socioeconomic status (SES) measured by monthly expenditure quintiles to be a significant determinant for quit attempts among both smokers as well as smokeless tobacco users, which is similar to the findings in previous studies (Hymowitz et al, 1997;Reid, 2010).…”

Exploring Factors Influencing Smoking Behaviour in Malaysia

“…Better understanding of this topic may provide a clearer picture for the policy makers of the directions to design proper intervention strategies. To our knowledge, numerous studies have examined this issue in Malaysia (Siahpush et al, 2008;Lim et al, 2009;Tan et al, 2009;Al-Naggar and Saghir, 2011). However, they only focus on investigating the socio-demographic differences in smoking participation.…”

Predictors of smoking cessation among adult smokers in Malaysia and Thailand: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia Survey

“…This knowledge from developed countries is not necessarily generalizable to developing countries, due to different socioeconomic conditions and cultural contexts as well as disparities in tobacco control policies and social acceptability of smoking (Abdullah & Husten, 2004;Siahpush, Borland, Yong, Kin, & Sirirassamee, 2008). Siahpush et al (2008) examined the association of socioeconomic position with cigarette consumption, intention to quit, and self-efficacy to quit among male smokers in Thailand and Malaysia using the ITC-Southeast Asia (SEA) survey.…”

“…Siahpush et al (2008) examined the association of socioeconomic position with cigarette consumption, intention to quit, and self-efficacy to quit among male smokers in Thailand and Malaysia using the ITC-Southeast Asia (SEA) survey. They found that in the Malaysian sample, higher level of education was not associated with intention to quit or selfefficacy to quit or cigarette consumption; in Thailand, higher level of education was associated strongly with not having selfefficacy, and higher income was not found to be associated with an intention to quit in either country.…”