Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data
Design and objective This ecological study evaluated the associations between smoking rates, and community sociodemographic and climatic characteristics for a large sample of remote Indigenous communities.Setting and sample Records (n=2689) from an audit of community health centres in the Northern T...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2019-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e032173.full |
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| author | Ross Bailie Suzanne Jane Carroll Michael J Dale Mark Daniel |
| author_facet | Ross Bailie Suzanne Jane Carroll Michael J Dale Mark Daniel |
| author_sort | Ross Bailie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Design and objective This ecological study evaluated the associations between smoking rates, and community sociodemographic and climatic characteristics for a large sample of remote Indigenous communities.Setting and sample Records (n=2689) from an audit of community health centres in the Northern Territory and Queensland were used to estimate smoking rates dichotomised at the median for 70 predominantly Indigenous remote communities. Community characteristics were similarly dichotomised.Methods Cross-tabulations were used to calculate the odds of a community classified as high for a sociodemographic or climatic factor also being high for smoking rate. Additional cross-tabulations, stratified by sociodemographic, region (coastal or central) and geographic connectivity levels, were performed to assess potential confounding.Results Community smoking rates ranged from 25% to 96% (median 60.2%). Moderately strong relationships were observed between community smoking rate and population size (OR 6.25,(95% CI 2.18 to 17.95)), education level (OR 3.67 (1.35–10.01)), income (2.86 (11.07–7.67)) and heat (2.86 (1.07–7.67)).Conclusions Smoking rates in Australian remote Indigenous communities are universally high. Smoking rates are associated with greater community-level socioeconomic status and size, most likely reflecting greater means of accessing tobacco with mass of smokers sufficient to sustain a normative influence. Severe heat was also associated with high smoking rates suggesting such a stressor might support smoking as a coping mechanism. Community sociodemographic and climatic factors bear consideration as context-level correlates of community smoking rates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23035775cbe146d6aacb9bb915c6b4ca |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-23035775cbe146d6aacb9bb915c6b4ca2024-11-23T19:05:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-07-019710.1136/bmjopen-2019-032173Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit dataRoss Bailie0Suzanne Jane Carroll1Michael J Dale2Mark Daniel3University Centre for Rural Health, The University of Sydney, Lismore, New South Wales, AustraliaAustralian Geospatial Health Laboratory, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AustraliaCentre for Research and Action in Public Health, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AustraliaCentre for Research and Action in Public Health, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, AustraliaDesign and objective This ecological study evaluated the associations between smoking rates, and community sociodemographic and climatic characteristics for a large sample of remote Indigenous communities.Setting and sample Records (n=2689) from an audit of community health centres in the Northern Territory and Queensland were used to estimate smoking rates dichotomised at the median for 70 predominantly Indigenous remote communities. Community characteristics were similarly dichotomised.Methods Cross-tabulations were used to calculate the odds of a community classified as high for a sociodemographic or climatic factor also being high for smoking rate. Additional cross-tabulations, stratified by sociodemographic, region (coastal or central) and geographic connectivity levels, were performed to assess potential confounding.Results Community smoking rates ranged from 25% to 96% (median 60.2%). Moderately strong relationships were observed between community smoking rate and population size (OR 6.25,(95% CI 2.18 to 17.95)), education level (OR 3.67 (1.35–10.01)), income (2.86 (11.07–7.67)) and heat (2.86 (1.07–7.67)).Conclusions Smoking rates in Australian remote Indigenous communities are universally high. Smoking rates are associated with greater community-level socioeconomic status and size, most likely reflecting greater means of accessing tobacco with mass of smokers sufficient to sustain a normative influence. Severe heat was also associated with high smoking rates suggesting such a stressor might support smoking as a coping mechanism. Community sociodemographic and climatic factors bear consideration as context-level correlates of community smoking rates.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e032173.full |
| spellingShingle | Ross Bailie Suzanne Jane Carroll Michael J Dale Mark Daniel Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data BMJ Open |
| title | Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data |
| title_full | Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data |
| title_fullStr | Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data |
| title_short | Climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote Indigenous Australian smoking rates: an ecological study of health audit data |
| title_sort | climatic and community sociodemographic factors associated with remote indigenous australian smoking rates an ecological study of health audit data |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/7/e032173.full |
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