RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Smoking is one of the risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and is harmful to both active and passive smokers. This study aimed to identify the influence of socioeconomic and environmental issues on smoking in Thailand. METHODS: The study is a secondary dataset analysis of cross-sectional data using data from the 2017 Smoking and Drinking Behaviors Survey of the National Statistical Office of Thailand. The survey collected the data among 88689 participants using a structured questionnaire. The multi-level analysis was used to identify the association between socioeconomics, environmental factors, social marketing, and smoking while controlling for the effects of covariates and presenting the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Among 88689 respondents, the prevalence of smoking was 18.2% (95% CI: 18.00-18.51). Factors that were associated with smoking were: exposure to secondhand smoke in residential settings (AOR=15.31; 95% CI: 14.47-16.20) and alcohol regular drinking (AOR=4.44; 95% CI: 4.14-4.76). In addition, social marketing factors include: disagreeing or being unsure of the opinions that cigarettes should be categorized as harmful goods (AOR=3.15; 95% CI: 2.94-3.37); not having been exposed to the disadvantages of smoking in social media (AOR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.43-1.61); not having been exposed to the disadvantages of smoking in newspapers, television, radio, advertisements, or other sources (AOR=1.46; 95% CI: 1.37-1.62); having never seen the warning cautions or having seen them but ignored the hazardous effect (AOR=4.81; 95% CI: 4.5-4.9); and having ever seen the warning cautions/ever seen but ignore the hazardous effect (AOR=4.81; 95% CI: 4.54-5.09), and ever seen advertisements or billboards which motivate smoking in various places (AOR=1.33; 95% CI: 1.24-1.42). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and secondhand smoke are crucial problems that affect health. In addition, related sectors should help to develop a policy recommendation to reduce the smoking rate through social marketing. Strict and comprehensive policies and laws on non-smoking in work places, public spaces, and homes, will help to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among non-smokers.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake among patients with cancer in northeastern Thailand. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in northeastern Thailand between December 29th, 2022 and January 31st, 2023. A community-based, multistage sampling method was used to select patients with any medically diagnosed cancer. An interview form was developed to assess patient sociodemographic factors, health literacy, and COVID-19 vaccination status. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination status. RESULTS: Of the 449 participants, 368 (81.96%) had received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. The multivariable analysis revealed that factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination among cancer patients included: 1) health literacy (excellent: adjusted odd ratio (ORAdj) = 7.23; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.11-24.71, p = 0.002); sufficient: ORAdj = 6.03; 95% CI: 2.00-18.24, p = 0.001); problematic: ORAdj = 3.88; 95% CI:1.37-11.00, p = 0.011); 2) marital status (ORAdj = 2.90; 95% CI: 1.37-6.14, p = 0.005); 3) cancer treatment at a general hospital (ORAdj = 2.50; 95% CI: 1.25-5.00, p = 0.010); and 4) history of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection (ORAdj = 2.37; 95% CI:1.19-4.71, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The strongest predictor of receiving COVID-19 vaccines was health literacy, which enhances healthcare provider awareness of communicable disease prevention and control for patients with cancer as well as counselling and educating to improve their health literacy. It could influent a higher rate of vaccine uptake among patients with cancer.
