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Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking 
and Factors Associated with the 
Initiation of Smoking among 
University Students in Dhaka, 
Bangladesh 

 
Sahadat Hossain1, Shakhaoat 
Hossain1, Fahad Ahmed2, Rabiul 
Islam1, Tajuddin Sikder1, Abdur 
Rahman1 
 
1Department of Public Health and 
Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, 
Dhaka, Bangladesh; 
2Department of Environmental Sciences, 
Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 
Bangladesh 

 
Vol. 6, No. 1 (2017)   |   ISSN 2166-7403 (online)  
DOI 10.5195/cajgh.2017.244 |   http://cajgh.pitt.edu 

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HOSSAIN 
 

 
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Abstract 

Introuduction: Tobacco smoking is considered to be the key preventable risk factor for morbidity and mortality at the global 
level. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking and factors associated with the initiation of 
smoking among university students in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 
Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 264 students of Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 
2015. A standard, self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions on socio-demographic variables, tobacco smoking 
status, family and peer tobacco smoking history, attitudes and beliefs about tobacco smoking, as well as knowledge about the 
negative health consequences of tobacco smoking was administered to participants. Data were analyzed using logistic regression 
models, chi square, and Fisher exact tests.  
Results: The overall prevalence of tobacco smoking was 60.2%, where males smoked at higher rates than females (68.81% and 
19.56%, respectively). The influence of friends was the most significant reason for initiating tobacco smoking (OR: 0.862; CI: 
0.810-0.917). Perception regarding tobacco smoking was significantly related to continuing tobacco use. Logistic regression 
models identified that smoking-related attitudes, potential health problems, and family members dying from cardiovascular 
disease and cancer were significantly associated with tobacco smoking.  
Conclusion: The current tobacco smoking prevalence among university students in Bangladesh is over 60%. We suggest 
adopting WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) policies, especially for university students.  

Keywords: Student health, Tobacco smoking, Public Health, Bangladesh 

Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking and 
Factors Associated with the Initiation 
of Smoking among University 
Students in Dhaka, Bangladesh 

 
Sahadat Hossain1, Shakhaoat 
Hossain1, Fahad Ahmed2, Rabiul 
Islam1, Tajuddin Sikder1, Abdur 
Rahman1 
 
1Department of Public Health and 
Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, 
Dhaka, Bangladesh; 
2Department of Environmental Sciences, 
Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, 
Bangladesh 
 

Research 

Tobacco smoking has been associated with 
multiple health problems and is considered to be a 
preventable risk factor for six of the eight leading 
causes of morbidity and mortality at the global level.1 

Smoking is a serious and growing public health problem 
globally, with a large number of tobacco-associated 
deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.2 
Future projections suggest that tobacco smoking will 
kill more than 8 million people each year worldwide by 
the year 2030, with 80% of these premature deaths 
occurring in low- and middle-income countries.3 

According to the World Health Organization, there are 
about 1 billion smokers in the world, 80% of whom are 
in developing countries.2 Tobacco smoking has many 
detrimental effects on health in general and it is has 
been estimated that tobacco smokers die 10 years earlier 
than non-smokers.4,5 Tobacco smoking leads to lung 
cancer, chronic obstructive lung disease, atherosclerotic 

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cardiovascular diseases, peptic ulcer disease, 
intrauterine growth retardation, spontaneous abortion, 
antepartum hemorrhage, female infertility, sexual 
dysfunction in men, and many other diseases.6 It has 
been calculated that nearly a third of the world’s 
population, aged 15 years above, are smokers7 and 
smoking prevalence is on the rise, especially in the 
developing countries.8 Large number of young people 
are initiating smoking at earlier ages, which is a major 
public health concern.9  

University students constitute a high risk group 
for engaging in risky behaviors, such as smoking and 
illicit substance use.10,11 These students are at high risk 
of initiating and continuing smoking as they are likely 
to be exposed to peers who smoke. At the same time, 
they face social, emotional, and educational challenges 
when they enter the university settings.12-15 This 
predilection toward risk taking behaviors has been 
associated with the underdevelopment of the orbital-
frontal cortex.16 Moreover, identity development is a 
major concern for the youth, and young people are more 
susceptible to peer pressure.14 The Global Youth 
Tobacco Survey (GYTS), conducted in 131 countries 
surveyed 750,000 college students, demonstrated that 
smoking starts as early as at 13–15 years of age. This 
survey found that approximately 9% of students were 
current cigarette smokers, while 11% currently used 
tobacco products other than cigarettes.17 Another survey 
among undergraduate medical students at Addis Ababa 
University reported a lifetime smoking prevalence of 
9% and a current smoking prevalence of 1.8%.18 A 
survey conducted among university students in 
southwest Nigeria showed that the prevalence of ever 
smokers was 22.0%, while the prevalence of current 
smokers was 13.7%.19 Similarly, a study conducted 
among university students in Cameroon reported an 
ever smoking prevalence of 30.1% and with a current 
smoking prevalence of 6.3%.20 Another study among 
young adults in Nepal showed that 84.3% of smokers 
believed that tobacco use is harmful to their health.21 

In Bangladesh, the numbers of tobacco 
smokers are increasing rapidly because of the 
availability of cheap tobacco products, lack of strong 
tobacco control regulations, and weak enforcement of 
existing regulations. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey 
conducted by WHO reported that Bangladesh is one of 
the top ten countries in the world with high tobacco use 
(both smoking and smokeless forms) with a prevalence 
of 43.3% among adults (41.3 million), with 44.7% of 
men and 1.5% of women engaging in tobacco 
smoking.22 A study based on demographic and health 
survey data reported that the prevalence of tobacco 
smoking among men in Bangladesh is 60%.23 Another 
study among male university students in 2009 stated 
that 36.1% students smoked tobacco.24 Among fourth-
year dental students, the prevalence of cigarette 
smoking was reported to be 49.5% and 1.7% in males 
and females, respectively.25 

An increasing trend of tobacco smoking is 
anticipated to occur among university students and this 
could be related to perceived alleviation of stress, life 
problems, peer pressure, social acceptance, class history 
of smoking, lower educational level of parents, and the 
desire to attain higher societal class.26-28 Smoking 
among students in Bangladesh has been poorly 
investigated and our initial hypothesis was that it is 
possible that university students may be lacking 
knowledge on the link between smoking and adverse 
health effects. The aim of this study was to estimate the 
prevalence of tobacco smoking among university 
students and to identify factors that may be related to 
both initiation and prevalence of tobacco smoking. 

 

Methods 

Participants 

All of the participants involved in this study 
have read and signed a written consent form. This study 
was approved by the Bio-safety, Bio-security & Ethical 
Committee of Jahangirnagar University. Participants 

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were informed that the information collected would be 
kept anonymous and participation was totally voluntary. 

A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 
Jahangirnagar University, located approximately 30 km 
from the downtown area of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Figure 
1). Approximately 14,500 students are enrolled in this 
university at the undergraduate and postgraduate 
programs in different faculties or departments. The 
inclusion criteria for the study included full-time student 
status, enrolment in one of the university’s 
undergraduate or postgraduate programs, and age 
between 18 and 27 years. 

Figure 1. Location Map of the Study Area 

Data collection 

Study questionnaire was distributed to a 
random sample of 346 students, with 264 students 
completing the questionnaire.  Each participant 
completed a questionnaire consisting of 5 sections. The 
questionnaire was developed in our university and 
pretested in a pilot study of 50 students. Minor phrasing 
modifications were made on the original questionnaire 
after the pretest. The self-administered questionnaire 
included demographic data (age, sex, class, and family 
background, including paternal and maternal education 
levels, employment, and income levels), tobacco 
smoking patterns (type of smoking, frequency, age of 
initiation, and duration), risk factors for tobacco 
smoking initiation and retention, smoking status 
(current smoker, ever smoker and non-smoker), average 
number of cigarettes/self-rolled cigarettes smoked daily, 
socio-demographic status, and place of living. In order 
to maximize the response rate, trained researchers 
checked the questionnaires and if data were missing, the 
questionnaire was immediately returned to the 
respective respondent for completion. 

We applied the standard of GYTS for 
calculating the prevalence of tobacco smoking.29 Our 
estimates of tobacco smoking were derived from three 
questions resulting in two measures: ever smoker and 

current smoker. A smoker was defined as someone who 
was currently using ≥1 tobacco product (cigarettes 
(commercial), bidis (self-rolled), cigars etc.). Current 
smoking included daily and occasional smoking in the 
past 30 days preceding the survey. Ever smoker refers to 
a person who smoked at least 1 tobacco product 
(cigarettes, bidis, cigars, etc.) during their lifetime.30,31 

Statistical analysis 

Data analysis included descriptive statistics as 
well as inferential statistics approaches. Descriptive 
statistics for categorical variables included frequencies 
and proportions; means and standard deviations were 
utilized for continuous variables. Differences between 
categorical variables were assessed for significance 
using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, as 
appropriate. Variables that were found to be 
significantly associated with tobacco smoking were 
further analyzed using logistic regression. In simple 
regression analysis, we adjusted for several relevant 
factors including: age, sex, smoking status, second-hand 
exposure to smoking, knowledge, attitude and practices 
among the tobacco smokers, and smoking associated 
diseases that caused fatality among family members. 
Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence 
intervals were reported. The level of significance was 
P<0.05. Data were first entered into Microsoft Excel 
and then transferred to SPSS software for Windows, 
version 22.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) for analyses. 

 

Results 

Among the respondents, 46 (17.4%) were 
female and 218 (82.6%) were male, which was found to 
be a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) 
(Table 1). A total of 82 individuals did not complete the 
survey; therefore, the response rate was 76.30%. 
Respondents ranged in age from 18-27 years, with a 
mean of 21.55 (± 1.98) years (Table 2). Among tobacco 
smokers, 94.34% were males and 5.66% were females. 
Forty-three percent of the respondents were first year 

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students, and 26%, 11%, and 4% were from 2nd year, 
3rd year, and 4th year respectively. The remaining 16% 
of the respondents were from Masters level programs.  
Out of 264 respondents, 206 (78%) mentioned their 
department of studies.  Thirty-three percent were in the 
Biological Sciences, 31% were in the Arts and 
Humanities, 17% were in the Mathematical & Physical 
Sciences, 13% were in the Social Sciences, and 6% 
were in Business Studies. 

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study 
population and proportion of students using tobacco 
(n=264) 

Table 2. Age Comparison of the study population   

The average age of initiating tobacco smoking 
for both males and females was 17.91 years (SD: 2.1). 
Age of initiation of tobacco smoking for females was 
20.22 years (SD: 1.4) and for males it was 17.8 years 
(SD: 2.02). The 95% confidence interval for these 
means was 19.15 – 21.29 and 17.44 – 18.09 for female 
and male respondents, respectively. Some students 
reported initiation of tobacco smoking as early as 12 
years of age and nearly one third (30%) of ever smokers 
initiated it before they were 17 years of age. Initiation of 
tobacco smoking was found to be dramatically 
increased after 17 years of age until 21 years, and then 
smoking decreases (Figure 2). The most significant 
factor for initiating tobacco smoking was the influence 
of a friend (p < 0.001) (Table 3). Family history of 
tobacco smoking was also a significant factor for 
smoking initiation. A large proportion (69.62%) of 
students reported that at least one family member 
smoked tobacco. Of these respondents, 64.30 % 
reported that the father smoked tobacco, and 51.80 % 
reported that a brother smoked tobacco. 

Among tobacco smokers, almost 62% 
attempted to give up tobacco smoking at any stage after 
initiation; however, most were unable to successfully 
quit. Students were asked which factors influenced 
smoking continuation. Majority of the respondents 

(54.18%) reported depression as the reason they 
continued to smoke tobacco (Table 3). Other reasons for 
continued smoking/use of other tobacco products were 
difficulties in a relationship with a girlfriend (41.51%) 
and educational problems (14%). Less than 2% of 
respondents refused to answer this question.  

Figure 2. Percent of Age of initiating tobacco smoking 
by gender 

Table 3. Factors for initiating tobacco use 

The knowledge and perceptions about tobacco 
smoking were measured with both open-ended 
questions and multiple choice questions. Students were 
asked if they were aware of the harmful effects of 
tobacco smoking. Of the total respondents, 253 
(95.83%) students claimed to have knowledge about the 
hazards of tobacco smoking (Table 4). Among the 
students who reported to have knowledge about the 
health hazards of tobacco smoking, 218 (86.16%) have 
ever used tobacco products (mainly cigarettes) and 35 
(13.83%) never used. Approximately 78.4% of the 
participants agreed with the statement that students 
should not smoke; however, 35.8% of smokers did not 
agree with this statement. Among them, 81.30% 
reported that use of tobacco, especially cigarette 
smoking, makes them mentally alert or brings mental 
tranquility. 

Table 4. Proportion of students by knowledge and 
perception about hazardous tobacco smoking 

Smokers were asked if they had health 
problems typically associated with tobacco smoking 
during the last three months, with 46% reporting that 
they were suffering from smoking associated diseases. 
Almost 63% reported that they experienced coughing. 
Other health problems that have been reported included 
breathing problems (46.7%), asthma (9.3%), chest pain 
(37.3%), lack of appetite (41.3%), and other problems 
(5.3%) (Figure 3). 

Figure 3. Self-Reported Health Problems of Smokers 

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Among the tobacco smokers, 37.7% smoked 1 
to 5 cigarettes, 47.8% smoked 6 to 10 cigarettes, and 
14.5% smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day. On 
average, the smokers in this study consumed 6.94 (SD: 
3.1) cigarettes daily. We estimated that the total yearly 
expenditure for tobacco smoking was 2.7 million BD 
taka ($33,920) for the smokers enrolled in this study. 
On average, 37.1% tobacco smokers were spending 
more than 50 taka (>$ 0.63) per day for smoking. Thirty 
four percent of the smokers were spending 30-50 taka ($ 
0.38 - 0.63) per day and the remaining 29% spent up to 
30 taka (≤ $ 0.38) in a day. 

Table 5 reports the results of the logistic 
regression. The most important independent predictors 
of tobacco smoking among the students were the 
perceptions– looking smart (OR = 1.642; 95% CI = 1.48 
– 1.908), and looking modern (OR = 1.40; 95% CI = 
1.02 – 2.847). The findings of the logistic regression 
analysis also demonstrated the strongest relationship 
between tobacco smoking and coronary heart diseases 
and cancer among the family members of the 
respondents (e.g., father, uncle, or grandfather) who 
have had a long history of tobacco use (OR = 0.327; 
95% CI = 0.161 – 0.665). Another significant finding 
was the association of second-hand tobacco smoke with 
the study population (OR: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.094-0.425 
for male and OR: 0.509; 95% CI: 0.253-1.025 for 
smokers). 

Table 5. Logistic regression analyses for smoking-
related factors among the students 

 

Discussion 

This study demonstrated that perception of 
social appearance is a very important predictor for 
tobacco smoking initiation. This finding is consistent 
with the idea that culture plays a key role in determining 
behavior. In Bangladesh, tobacco use is widely 
practiced, especially among adults. Adolescents and 
young adults are the most vulnerable groups for 

smoking initiation. In this study, we have found that 
almost 60% of students were involved in tobacco 
smoking, with the majority of smokers being males. 
This finding is in agreement with previously published 
literature from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and 
for Muslim countries where culture and norms play an 
important role in female behaviors and customs.14,33,34 
Our estimate of tobacco smoking prevalence among 
females is low compared with the estimate from other 
studies.35-37 Though smoking among females (5.7%) was 
lower than for males, estimates show that this rate is 
approximately 3.8 times higher than previously reported 
WHO findings.22  From a public health standpoint, the 
increase in the number of female tobacco smokers in 
Bangladesh is of concern.  

Our study suggests that age was an important 
factor related to tobacco smoking among university 
students, with older students being at a higher risk for 
smoking.27 The differences between the age of smokers 
and non-smokers were statistically significant (p = 
0.042), which was also observed in a study in China.32 
According to the World Health Organization, most of 
the students start using tobacco early, often beginning in 
their high school years.22 Among respondents, most of 
the students started tobacco smoking during 
adolescence. The finding of our study is similar to that 
reported by the World Health Organization. 22 

The majority of the students reported that they 
initiated tobacco smoking due to the influence of friends 
(62.26%) and by the imitation of family members.  
Smoking among friends and their influence may 
indicate a link between peer pressure and the 
development of smoking habits.15,38-40 Family 
association also has an influence on tobacco smoking; 
the smoking habits of family members (father’s use: OR 
= 0.308; 95% CI: 0.158-0.603, brother’s use: OR = 
0.288; 95% CI: 0.141-0.588, and grandfather’s use:  OR 
= 2.151; 95% CI: 1.0-4.624) are statistically significant 
factors relating to the smoking habits of their offspring 
or siblings. This is consistent with findings from 

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previous tobacco studies among students.14,15 Almost 
37.20%  of tobacco smokers in our study reported that 
they had started tobacco smoking because of curiosity. 
Unstable relationships among family members were 
also a factor for continuing to smoke tobacco.  

Majority of the students who participated in 
this study (95.83%) were knowledgeable about the link 
between smoking cigarettes and chronic diseases, which 
is encouraging for future programs targeting smoking 
cessation. The findings of the present study are similar 
to that reported in the United States, Great Britain, and 
Australia among adults where the proportion of 
respondents knowledgeable on cigarette smoking as 
cause of heart disease and lung cancer were (85.8%, 
94.4%), (92.3%, 98.2%), and (94%, 91%) 
respectively.41-43 However, the proportion of adolescents 
in Denmark who were knowledgeable on lung and heart 
diseases was lower, 46.3% and 49.3%, respectively.44  

The perception of smokers about tobacco 
smoking is also an important predictor of the retention 
of tobacco smoking habit. We found a significant 
association between smoking and the personal 
perception; in our study smokers believe that smoking 
makes them look smarter, or more modern compared to 
those who do not smoke. Previously published studies 
have also shown a significant association between these 
variables.34,39,40,45  

There are some limitations of this study. First, 
the information is self-reported, which is subject to 
recall bias. Second, we had a relatively small sample 
area and sample size, the results of our study may not be 
fully representative of other parts of the country. Third, 
the study focused only on smoking tobacco, no 
information was collected about illicit drug use or other 
non-smoking tobacco use, which needs to be explored 
in the future studies.  

 

 

Conclusion  

The findings of our study reveal that tobacco 
smoking is initiated by students during the early 
adolescent years and continues throughout the 
university years. Smoking was more prevalent among 
males, possibly due to fewer opportunities to smoke due 
to cultural and social restrictions among females. 
Curiosity, peer pressure, and psychological stress were 
the main causes of initiating tobacco smoking, with 
family members of the tobacco smokers playing a vital 
role indirectly to initiate tobacco use. Public awareness 
measures, such as anti-smoking campaigns must be 
implemented to create awareness, reduce smoking 
levels, and avoid negative health consequences in 
Bangladesh. This study provides justification for the 
implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on 
Tobacco Control (FCTC) policies for students. Our 
findings also contribute to a knowledge base from 
which to develop targeted tobacco control policies for 
university students. If we can establish a holistic 
approach for tobacco control in university level, the 
overall tobacco control movement in Bangladesh will be 
accelerated. Besides, a smoke free campus policy will 
encourage other universities to create a healthy 
environment for education in future. The government of 
Bangladesh should take steps to eradicate tobacco 
smoking, and smoking control laws and policies should 
be strongly enforced by the tobacco control agencies. 
Tobacco education should start at the grade school level 
to educate children about harmful effects of tobacco 
smoking. These measures, along with the legislative 
control, will go a long way in creating a tobacco 
smoking free society in Bangladesh and globally.  

  

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old boarding school pupils in Denmark, 1987-
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2009; 35:442–448. 

 

 

 

 

  

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Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study population and proportion of students using tobacco (n=264) 

Demographic and personal 

characteristics of study participants  

Smoker (%) 

N=159 

Non-smoker (%) 

N=105 

P-value 

 

Gender 

 

Male 150 (94.34)  68 (64.76)  0.001a 

Female 9 (5.66) 37 (35.24) 

Age 

 

 

≤ 19 years 

20 – 23 years 

24 – 27 years  

10 (52.60) 

117 (58.20) 

32 (72.70) 

9 (47.40) 

84 (51.80)  

12 (27.30) 

0.042a 

 

Academic 

year 

 

 

1st 69 (61.06) 44 (38.94) 0.159b 

 

 

2nd 34 (48.57) 36 (51.43) 

3rd 20 (71.43) 8 (28.57) 

4th 7 (63.64) 4 (36.36) 

Masters 29 (69.04) 13 (30.96) 

Departmentc 

 

 

 

 

Business Studies 7 (58.33) 5 (41.67) 0.004b 

 

 

Social Sciences 14 (56) 11 (44) 

Mathematical & 

Physical Sciences 

21 (56.76) 

 

16 (43.24) 

 

Arts & Humanities 47 (73.44) 17 (26.56) 

Biological Sciences 28 (41.17) 40 (58.83) 
a p-values from Chi-square tests. 
b p-values from Fisher’s exact test 

 cOnly 206 (78%) answered this question. 

 

 

 

 

  

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Table 2. Age Comparison of the study population   

 Male 

(±SD)  

Female 

(±SD)  

P-valuea 95% CI 

Lower Uper 

Smoker 21.55 

(2.042) 

23.78 

(1.563) 

0.002 - 3.601 - 0.862 

Non-smoker 21.54 

(1.807) 

21.00 

(1.780) 

0.141 - 0.184 1.272 

 ap-values from Independent Samples T test 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Table 3. Factors for initiating tobacco use  

 Prevalence,% P-valuea  Odds Ratio 95% CI 

Influencing factors for starting cigarette smoking 

Friend’s influence   62.26  < 0.001 0.862 0.810 - 0.917     

Father’s use 64.30 0.001 0.308 0.158 - 0.603  

Brother’s use 51.80 0.001 0.288 0.141 - 0.588  

Uncle’s use 53.60 0.914 0.964 0.491- 1.891  

Grandfather’s use 21.40 0.050 2.151 1.00 - 4.624  

Influencing factors for continuing cigarette smoking  

Mental depression 54.18 0.628 0.642 0.107 - 3.848  

Bad family relations 6.92 0.999 0.000 0.00 

Educational problems 13.84 0.097 4.878 0.751 - 31.705  

Diifficulties in relationship with girlfriend 41.51 0.708 0.720 0.129 - 4.020 

Curiosity 36.48 0.846 0.826 0.119 - 5.709  

 ap-values from Logistic regression analyses. [“No” is the reference category for each variable.] 

 

 

 

 

  

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Table 4. Proportion of students by knowledge and perception about hazardous tobacco smoking 

Personal attitudes towards smoking Smoker (N, %) Non-smoker (N, %) P-value 

Agreed Disagreed Agreed Disagreed  

Student should not smoke 102 (64.2) 57 (35.8) 105 - 0.216a 

Tobacco brings mental tranquility  126 (81.30) 29 (18.70) - - 0.065 a 

Use of tobacco is a cause of economic loss 109 (77.65) 50 (22.35) 96(91.43) 9 (8.57) <0.001a 

Having knowledge of tobacco’s association with 

non-communicable diseases   

218 (86.16) 35 (13.83) 0.009b 

 ap-values from Logistic regression analyses. 

 bp-values from Chi-square test 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Table 5. Logistic regression analyses for smoking-related factors among the students 

Category Variable OR 95% CI P-value 

 

Smoker’s personal perceptions 

Bad 

Smart 

Modern 

General 

1 (ref) 

1.642 

1.40 

2.497 

- 

1.48 – 1.908  

1.02 – 2.847 

1.868 – 5.688 

- 

<0.001a 

<0.001a 

<0.001a 

Student should not smoke Female  

Male  

1 (ref)  

0.424 

- 

0.109 – 1.649 

- 

0.216b 

Smoking due to  peer pressure Female  

Male  

1 (ref)  

1.031 

- 

0.121 – 8.788 

-  

0.978b 

Reported  health problems due to 

tobacco smoking  

Female  

Male  

1 (ref)  

0.135 

- 

0.017 – 1.110  

- 

0.062b 

Family members that died from 

CHD and Cancer 

Died: person wasn’t smoker  

Died: person was smoker 

1 (ref)  

0.327 

- 

0.161 – 0.665 

- 

0.002b 

 

Exposure to environmental 

tobacco smoke 

Female 

Male  

1 (ref)  

0.20 

- 

0.094 – 0.425 

- 

<0.001b 

Non-smoker 

Smoker 

1 (ref)  

 0.509 

- 

0.253 – 1.025 

- 

0.059b 
ap-values from Multinomial logistic regression analyses  
bp-values from Binary logistic regression analyses.  

Abbreviation: CI = confidence intervals, OR= odds ratio. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Figure 1. Location Map of the Study Area. 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Figure 2. Percent of Age of initiating tobacco smoking by gender 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Figure 3. Self-Reported Health Problems of Smokers 

 
 

 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Cough

Breathing problem

Asthma

Chest pain

Loss of appetite

Others

Cough Breathing
problem Asthma Chest pain Loss of

appetite Others

Percent 62.7 46.7 9.3 37.3 41.3 5.3
Frequency 47 35 7 28 31 4

Health Problems 

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	Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking and Factors Associated with the Initiation of Smoking among University Students in Dhaka, Bangladesh
	Abstract
	Keywords: Student health, Tobacco smoking, Public Health, Bangladesh
	Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking and Factors Associated with the Initiation of Smoking among University Students in Dhaka, Bangladesh
	Research

