Prevalence of quitting decision and the impact of increased cigarette prices on the smoking behaviours among the male garment workers in Bangladesh

Objectives: The prevalence of tobacco use is high in Bangladesh, with a cigarette being the most consumed tobacco product. Taxing tobacco is highly effective for tobacco control, raising costs and encouraging smokers to quit or reduce cigarette consumption. Garment workers are the major group of low-wage earners in Bangladesh. This study aims to determine the perceived effects of raising cigarette prices on smoking behaviors and their influences on quitting the decision of male garment workers in Bangladesh.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The Study adopted a cross-sectional method among 739 male garment workers from Gazipur and Savar, Dhaka, for six months, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Factors such as the prevalence of lifetime tobacco use and rising cigarette prices on smoking behaviors were analyzed.

Results: The study found that most participants began smoking before age 16, and increased tobacco prices influenced quitting decisions for both smoking and smokeless tobacco users, with reductions of 79% and 68%, respectively. Higher prices notably impacted smoking cessation among lower-income individuals, decreasing smoking frequency by 12-fold. Significantly changing their smoking behavior, on average, daily cigarette or biri consumption decreased from 7 to 5, with some participants switching to less expensive tobacco products.

Conclusion: Findings from the study depict that imposing a high tax on tobacco products such as cigarette or biri has a desirable impact on the smoking behavior of low earning community. The price of all tobacco products should be increased to auspicate a considerable positive change in the community.