Prevalence and Sociodemographic Determinants of Any Tobacco Use and Dual Use in Six Countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region: Findings From the Demographic and Health Surveys

BACKGROUND: Tobacco control is an important strategy to reduce the disease burden caused by several noncommunicable diseases. An in-depth understanding of the sociodemographic variations in tobacco use is an important step in achieving effective tobacco control. AIMS: We aimed to estimate the age-standardized prevalence of any tobacco use and dual tobacco use and determine their association with sociodemographic variables in six countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Timor Leste) of the WHO South-East Asia Region. METHODS: The main outcome variables "any tobacco use" and "current dual use" were created from the latest available Demographic and Health Surveys data for each country. The prevalence estimates were weighted using sample weights and age standardized using the WHO standard population. Associations between…