Prevalence of smoking and its associated risk factors among secondary school students in Kelantan, Malaysia

Introduction: Minimizing smoking initiation among adolescents has been identified as a strategy to reduce the preva- lence of tobacco induced diseases among Malaysian adults. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with smoking among secondary school- going adolescents in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A school-based survey was carried out in Kelantan to determine the prevalence and associated factors of smoking among Kelantanese adolescents. Two-stage cluster sampling was used to ensure the representativeness of the sample. A self-administered validated questionnaire was utilised to obtain data from the selected respondents. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with smoking behaviour among school-going adolescents. Results: The study revealed that 10.1% (95 CI 8.5-11.9%) of the selected respondents were current smokers. The prevalence of male who smoked was significantly higher compared to female. MLR revealed that, males, respondents with at least one smoking parent/guardian, as well as the respondents with less supportive parents/ guardian were more likely to smoke. However, by having a few numbers of close friends and helpful peers in the school had shown no significant association for being the current smokers. Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of smoking was a bit lower than the national prevalence, and smoking behaviour was predominant among male adolescents in Kelantan state. Comprehensive measures with the involvement of parents/guardians were imperative to tackle smoking habits among adolescents by targeting high-risk groups identified in the study