AUTHOR=Oo Myo Zin , Tint Soe Sandi , Panza Alessio , Pongpanich Sathirakorn , Viwattanakulvanid Pramon , Bodhisane Somdeth , Rerkasem Amaraporn , Rerkasem Kittipan 

TITLE=Associated factors of smoking behaviors among industrial workers in Myanmar: the role of modifying factors and individual beliefs, guided by the health belief model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1655922

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1655922

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=IntroductionSmoking is a preventable behavioral risk factor for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, with particularly strong impacts on noncommunicable diseases. We aimed to examine the associations between modifying factors, individual beliefs, and smoking behaviors, including quit attempts and smoking intensity, among industrial workers in Myanmar.MethodsOur cross-sectional study utilized baseline data collected in 2018 from a longitudinal quasi-experimental study involving 292 male industrial workers in Mandalay, Myanmar. Employing the Health Belief Model, we examined the associations of modifying factors (age, sex, marital status, education, income, smoking initiation age, duration, quit intention, and health knowledge) and individual beliefs (perceived susceptibility, severity, barriers, benefits, and self-efficacy) with smoking behaviors, specifically quit attempts and smoking intensity. Data were collected via structured interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders, with significance set at p < 0.05.ResultsThe median age of participants was 28 years, with 90.4% not having attempted to quit smoking and 47.6% identified as high-intensity smokers. Health knowledge was significantly associated with lower odds of being a high-intensity smoker in both crude (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.88, p = 0.005) and adjusted models (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.75, p < 0.001). Higher self-efficacy also significantly reduced the odds of being a high-intensity smoker in the adjusted model (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.99, p = 0.044).ConclusionOur study reveals complex interactions between modifying factors and individual beliefs associated with smoking behaviors among industrial workers in Myanmar. The need for tailored health education interventions for industrial workers to enhance health knowledge and self-efficacy.