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.

Automated summary

The study highlights differences in characteristics between betel chewers and tobacco smokers, as well as between betel quid users and heavy users, suggesting the need for a specific prevention strategy for betel quid consumption in Myanmar rather than relying on the existing tobacco prevention strategy.