Nicotine dependence among rural-to-urban migrant workers in Shanghai

Abstract

Objective To explore the nicotine dependence levels and the influencing factors of dependence among rural-to-urban migrant workers in Shanghai so as to provide scientific rationales for an effective implementation of tobacco control. Methods Multi-stage randomized sampling was used to select a total of 5 856 rural-to-urban migrant workers from 7 districts in Shanghai. Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and logistic regression model were used to analyze the association between nicotine dependence and relevant risk factors. Results The current smoking prevalence was 23.7%. The average FTND score for current smokers, high dependence and low dependence were 3.38±2.49, 7.00±1.07 and 2.23±1.71 respectively. The high and low dependence rates were 21.7% and 78.3%. The results of logistic regression showed that education, duration of smoking and length of migration were associated with nicotine dependence. Lower level of education was more prone to high nicotine dependence. Those with a lower education had a higher risk of nicotine dependence (junior high school: OR=1.742, primary school or lower: OR=1.994 vs. senior high school or higher). High nicotine dependence increased with the duration of smoking (smoking 6-10 years: OR=3.007, 11-15 years: OR=4.076, 16-20 years: OR=5.451, 20 years or more: OR=5.726 vs. 5 years or less). Length of migration over 3 years was less likely to have a high nicotine dependence (3-5 years: OR=0.602, more than 5 years: OR=0.407 vs. < 1 year). Conclusion The rate of high nicotine dependence is high among rural-to-urban migrant workers in Shanghai. Level of education, duration of smoking and length of migration are significant influencing factors of nicotine dependence. Key words: Tobacco use disorder; Smoking; Questionnaires