Summary: | Introduction
Secondhand (SHS) smoke exposure has caused various health
problems. Therefore, continuous monitoring of SHS exposure is important to
determine the efficacy of various anti-tobacco measure implemented. The study
aims to compare the prevalence and factor(s) associated with SHS exposure
among secondary school-going adolescents in Malaysia during 2012 and 2017.
Methods
We derived data from the Global School Health Survey (GSHS) 2012 and
GSHS 2017, which was carried out in Malaysia using multistage sampling to select
representative samples of secondary school-going adolescents. Both surveys used
similar questionnaires to measure SHS exposure. Descriptive and multivariate
logistic regression was used to determine the prevalence and factors associated
with SHS exposure.
Results
Approximately four in ten respondents were exposed to SHS in the
past week in both surveys (41.5% in GSHS 2012 and 42.0% in GSHS 2017,
respectively). Both surveys revealed a significantly higher SHS exposure among
respondents who smoked than among non-smokers and higher among males
compared to females. The likelihood of SHS exposure in both surveys was also
similar, with a higher likelihood of SHS exposure among smoking adolescents
and non-smoking adolescents who had at least one smoking parent/guardian,
regardless of their own smoking status. Male adolescents had a higher risk of
SHS exposure compared to their female counterparts. Meanwhile, SHS risk also
increased with age, regardless of smoking status.
Conclusions
Our findings suggested that there were no changes in the prevalence
of SHS exposure and recorded only a slight change in the factors associated with
exposure to SHS among school-going adolescents in Malaysia between the years
2012 and 2017. A more pro-active, extensive and comprehensive programme
should be implemented to address the problem of SHS exposure. Parents
should be advised to stop smoking or abstain from smoking in the presence of
their children, and smoking cessation interventions are necessary for smoking
adolescents and their parents.
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