Declining prevalence of tobacco smoking in Vietnam

Tan Van Bui, Leigh Blizzard, Khue Ngoc Luong, Ngoc Le Van Truong, Bao Quoc Tran, Son Thai Ha, Hai Ngoc Phung, Petr Otahal, Velandai Srikanth, Mark Raymond Nelson, Thuy Bich Au, Mai Hoang Tran, Quan Long Huynh, Michele Callisaya, Seana L Gall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To supplement limited information on tobacco use in Vietnam, data from a nationally-representative population-based survey was used to estimate the prevalence of smoking among 25-64 year-olds. METHODS: This study included 14,706 participants (53.5 females, response proportion 64 ) selected by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling. Information was collected using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable disease (STEPS) questionnaire. Smoking prevalence was estimated with stratification by age, calendar year, and birth year. RESULTS: Prevalence of ever-smoking was 74.9 (men) and 2.6 (women). Male ever-smokers commenced smoking at median age of 19.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 17.0, 21.0) years and smoked median quantities of 10.0 (IQR: 7.0, 20.0) cigarettes/day. Female ever-smokers commenced smoking at median age of 20.0 (IQR: 18.0, 26.0) years and smoked median quantities of 6.0 (IQR: 4.0, 10.0) cigarettes/day. Prevalence has decreased in recent cohorts of men (p = .001), and its inverse association with years of education (p <.001) has strengthened for those born after 1969 (interaction p <.001). At 60 years of age, 53.0 of men who had reached that age were current smokers and they had accumulated median exposures of 39.0 (IQR: 32.0, 42.0) years of smoking and 21.0 (IQR: 11.5, 36.0) pack-years of cigarettes. The proportion of ever-smokers has decreased consistently among successive cohorts of women (p <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking prevalence is declining in recent cohorts of men, and continues to decline in successive cohorts of women, possibly in response to anti-tobacco initiatives commencing in the 1990s. Low proportions of quitters mean that Vietnamese smokers accumulate high exposures despite moderate quantities of cigarettes smoked per day.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)831 - 838
Number of pages8
JournalNicotine and Tobacco Research
Volume17
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

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