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

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.