Tobacco Consumption Among Young Population in Rural Indonesia: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Introduction: Tobacco consumption among youths is increasing in Indonesia and other middle-income countries. In rural areas, its prevalence is even higher compared to urban settings. Understanding the extent and associated factors of tobacco consumption within this population is essential to inform the formulation of appropriate prevention and control strategies. Aims: This study aims at analyzing the prevalence and associated factors of tobacco consumption among the young population living in rural Indonesia. Methods: Data were obtained from Indonesia Family Life Survey wave 5 (IFLS-5). A total of 2,786 responses from respondents aged 15-24 years and living in rural areas were taken into analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between tobacco consumption with the predictors. Results: The prevalence of tobacco consumption among youths in rural Indonesia was 26.5%. Binary logistic regression discovered that factors significantly associated with tobacco consumption among young population were aged 20-24 years (AOR = 4.760, 95% CI: 3.557-6.368), less educated (AOR = 5.988, 95% CI: 3.193-11.229), being married (AOR = 2.484, 95% CI: 1.631- 3.782), and having smoking parent (AOR = 1.346, 95% CI: 1.016-1.783). Young males had a much higher tobacco use prevalence (57.1%). Whereas females had significant negative association with tobacco consumption (AOR = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.000-0.002). Conclusion: A large portion of youth in rural Indonesia were identified to have tobacco-use behavior. Appropriate prevention and control strategies are needed to address the population groups identified in this study. Policymakers should anticipate challenges that may occur resulting from geographical and cultural differences.