Prevalence and Correlates of Second-hand Smoke Exposure Among Malaysian Adults

IntroductionSecond-hand smoke (SHS) contains more than 7,000 chemicals and at least 70 of them can cause cancers . Globally, more than 600,000 deaths are attributable to SHS annually . Our study aims to determine the prevalence and correlates of SHS exposure among adults in Malaysia. MethodologyData was obtained from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, a cross-sectional study which utilized a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design to select a nationally representative sample of adults in Malaysia. Data was collected using a short version of Global Adult Tobacco Surveillance (GATS) questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify correlates of SHS exposure among adults in Malaysia. ResultsOverall, 53.0% of Malaysian adults were exposed to SHS either at home, at work or at restaurant. Our study found that male adults (AOR 1.76; 95% CI: 1.60, 1.93), those aged 15-24 years (AOR 2.53; 95% CI: 2.11, 3.02), those who had no formal education (AOR 1.48; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.88) and those who were working (AOR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.38, 1.69) were more likely to be exposed to SHS. However, Indian (AOR 0.61; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.73) and those who have not noticed information about danger of smoking in newspaper/television/magazine (AOR 0.54; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.59) were less likely to be exposed to SHS as compared with their respective counterparts. DiscussionOur findings that male adults and those of younger age group were at higher risk of SHS exposure were in line with other local studies. Consistent with other studies among adults in India and Vietnam, our study reported that those who had no formal education were more likely to be exposed to SHS compared with those with higher education attainment. Our study found that working adults were at higher risk of SHS exposure while Indian adults were less likely to be exposed to SHS. In contrast, other local study reported higher likelihood of SHS exposure among unemployed adults and lower likelihood of SHS exposure among Chinese adults.Our study reported that those who have not noticed information about the danger of smoking in newspaper/television/magazine were less likely to be exposed to SHS which was similar to other study. ConclusionSHS exposure among Malaysian adults was high. Tobacco control measures should be strengthened to protect Malaysian adults from SHS exposure. Health promotion and educational programmes should be tailored to those at risk of SHS exposure.