Perceived Change in Tobacco Use and Its Associated Factors among Older Adults Residing in Rohingya Refugee Camps during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

Sabuj Kanti Mistry, Mehrab Ali Arm, Uday Narayan Yadav, Md. Nazmul Huda, Saruna Ghimire, Md. Ashfikur Rahman, Sompa Reza, Rumana Huque and Muhammad Aziz Rahman
Additional contact information
Sabuj Kanti Mistry: ARCED Foundation, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
Mehrab Ali Arm: ARCED Foundation, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
Uday Narayan Yadav: Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Md. Nazmul Huda: School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia
Saruna Ghimire: Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
Md. Ashfikur Rahman: Development Studies Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh
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
Muhammad Aziz Rahman: School of Health, Federation University Australia, Berwick, VIC 3350, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-12

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.

Keywords: Rohingya; tobacco use; smoking; smokeless tobacco; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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