Factors related to adolescent smoking: A nationally representative cross-sectional study in Thailand

Abstract

AIM: This study aimed to explore the individual, familial, and social factors associated with different smoking statuses in Thai adolescents. METHODS: The nationally representative sample of 6046 adolescents aged 15–19 years took part in the 2017 Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Drinking Behavior Survey in Thailand. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the associations between the individual, familial, and social factors and different smoking statuses. RESULTS: The daily smoking and occasional smoking was 6.4% and 3.3%, respectively. Gender, alcohol use, substance use, attitudes toward smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) at home, anti-smoking social media campaign, and graphic warning labels were related to daily and occasional smoking. Daily smoking was associated with exposure to SHS at school, restaurants, public transport, and exposure to tobacco advertising. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that smoking prevention intervention should focus on these factors and develop anti-smoking policies for smoking prevention among adolescents.