Betel quid chewing and its associated factors in Myanmar: A quantitative study

Kanako Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki Yamada, Midori Matsushima

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Betel quid is more widely consumed than tobacco in Myanmar. It brings adverse health effects regardless of whether it contains tobacco; however, Myanmar has no clear prevention strategy. This study aims to show a broader picture of the prevalence of betel quid chewing and the observable characteristics of its consumers in Myanmar by comparing it to tobacco usage. Methods: This study used the 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey data. First, we identified characteristics of betel quid consumers by a logit model. Next, we focused on exploring who would be likely to become heavy users, conditioned on being a betel quid consumer by controlling for possible sample selection bias. Results: We found differences in characteristics for betel chewers and tobacco smokers, and for betel quid users and heavy users. Conclusion: These results suggest that betel quid consumption should be regulated by a specific prevention strategy rather than by Myanmar's existing tobacco prevention strategy.

Original languageEnglish
Article number103047
JournalInternational Journal of Drug Policy
Volume92
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jun

Keywords

  • Asia
  • Betel quid
  • Heavy users
  • Myanmar
  • Smokeless tobacco
  • Tobacco

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Health Policy

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