Culture-bound addictions among low income workers of Karachi, Pakistan

Authors

  • Sara Salman Department of Community Medicine, Baqai Medical University, Karachi
  • Rehana Khalil Department of Family & Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University
  • Saadia Gul Department of Community Medicine, Baqai Medical University, Karachi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20150829

Keywords:

Low income workers, Addiction, Culture-bound addiction

Abstract

Background: The self-efficacy of individuals is influenced by experiences in the community, in the workplace, and in broader civil society, all of which exert a collective influence on attitudes and behaviors. The low-income population is more likely to engage in the use of culture bound addictive substances which include tobacco, gutkha, betel nut/areca nut, alcohol and caffeine. The objective of the study was to identify the type of culture-bound substances used by low-income workers and also to determine the prevalence of substance use among low-income workers, in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in Karachi, Pakistan. Trained interviewers used a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 707 workers to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, and addiction history. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.

Results: Majority (26.4%) of the participants were aged between 26 and 30 years. More than one-third (35.1%) were educated up to secondary level only. Half of the sample (50.8) had 6 to 10 house hold members whereas only one member was employed among 34.8% of the respondents. 39.5% participants reported a household income between Rs11000 and Rs 20000 per month. Half of the sample (50.4%) reported some sort of substance use in their daily routine. A significant number (39.5%) of workers were found to be addicted to tobacco, gutkha or betel nut alone, while another 10.5% were using these substances in combination.

Conclusions: Addiction to culture bound substances is prevalent among 50% of the low income workers of Karachi, Pakistan. The common culture bound addiction substances the workers were found to be using were tobacco, ghutka and betel nut. The findings of the present study can­not be generalized due to the limited sample. Still, the study provides evidence of this unhealthy behavior among workers that not only affects their productivity but plays a vicious role in poverty and poor health cycle. Future research should direct attention toward workers' health and working conditions to formulate effective public health interventions to reduce the risky behavior among low income workers. Moreover, there is a need to develop health education programs to create awareness and empowerment among low-income workers to prevent substance use.

 

References

United Nations. Human Development Report 2000; Trends in human development and per capita income. Retrieved from: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Pakistan-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html#ixzz3fEzWxZn0.

Braveman P, Egerter S, Williams DR. The social determinants of health: coming of age. Annu Rev Public Health. 2011;32:381-98.

Diez Roux A, Chambless L, Merkin S, Arnett D, Eigenbrodt M, Nieto F, et al. Socioeconomic disadvantage and change in blood pressure associated with aging. Circulation. 2002;106:703-10.

Boone-Heinonen J, Diez Roux AV, Kiefe CI, Lewis CE, Guilkey DK, Gordon-Larsen P. Neighbourhood socioeconomic status predictors of physical activity through young to middle adulthood: the CARDIA study. Soc Sci Med. 2011;72(5):641-9

Booth KM, Pinkston MM, Poston WS. Obesity and the built environment. J. Am. Diet Assoc. 2005;105:S110-7

Gordon-Larsen P, Nelson MC, Page P, Popkin BM. Inequality in the built environment underlies key health disparities in physical activity and obesity. Paediatrics. 2006;117:417-24

Giles-Corti B, Donovan RJ. 2002. The relative influence of individual, social and physical environment determinants of physical activity. Soc. Sci. Med. 2002;54:1793-812.

Stewart J.: Pathways to relapse: the neurobiology of drug- and stress-induced relapses to drug-taking. J. Psychiat. Neurosci. 2000;25:125-36.

Winstock, A. (2002), Areca nut-abuse liability, dependence and public health. Addiction Biology, 7: 133–138. doi: 10.1080/13556210120091509

Khan MS, Bawany FI, Shah SR, Hussain M, Arshad MH, Nisar N. Comparison of knowledge, attitude and practices of betelnut users in two socio-economic areas of Karachi. J Pak Med Assoc. 2013;63(10):1319-25.

Khanal V, Adhikari M, Karki S. Social determinants of tobacco consumption among Nepalese men: findings from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Harm Reduction J. 2013;10:40.

CPAA: Quit Smoking Campaign, Anti-Tobacco & Quit Smoking Campaign". Retrieved 30 May, 2015.

CDC - Fact Sheet - Betel Quid with Tobacco (Gutka) - Smoking & Tobacco Use". Smoking and Tobacco Use. Retrieved 30 May, 2015.

MP becomes 1st state to ban Gutka products containing tobacco". Hindustan Times. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 16 August, 2013.

Amitabha B. (23 November 2011). Scheme to save Calcutta's Howrah Bridge from spit. BBC News. Retrieved 16 August, 2013.

Gutkha more harmful than other forms of tobacco. Retrieved from: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/gutka-more-harmful-than-other-forms-of-tobacco/article4769653.ece.

Ansari ZA, Bano SN, Zulkifle M. Prevalence of tobacco use among power loom workers: A cross-sectional study. Indian J Community Med. 2010;35:34-9.

Heitzmann K, Canagarajah S, Paul B. Guidelines for Assessing the Sources of Risk and Vulnerability, Social Protection Discussion Paper Series No. 0218, The World Bank, June 2002

Muhammad Hafeez, Poverty and Poor Health in Pakistan: Exploring the Effects of Privatizing Healthcare, Harvard International Review. 2014;35(4). Retrieved June 30, 2015 from: http://hir.harvard.edu/archives/5768.

Population explosion: Put an embargo on industrialisation in Karachi. http://tribune.com.pk. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 17 January, 2014.

Largest cities and their mayors in 2011". City Mayors. Retrieved 5 February, 2010.

About Karachi". Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 10 February 2014.

Sindh population surges by 81.5 pc, households by 83.9 pc. Thenews.com.pk. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April, 2013.

Global city GDP rankings 2008-2025. Price water house Coopers. Retrieved 12 February, 2010.

Sinha D, Gupta P, Ray C, Singh P: Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among adults in WHO South-east Asia. Indian J Cancer. 2012;49:342-6.

National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13. Islamabad, Pakistan, and Calverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF International.

Mazahir S, Malik R, Maqsood M et al. Sociodemographic correlates of betel, areca and smokeless tobacco use as a high risk behavior for head and neck cancers in a squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2006;1:10.

Nisar N, Qadri MH, Fatima K, Perveen S. A community based study about knowledge and practices regarding tobacco consumption and passive smoking in Gadap Town, Karachi. J Pak Med Assoc. 2007;57:186-8.

Gupta PC, Ray CS. Tobacco, education and health. Indian J Med Res 2007;126:289-99.

Bala DV, Bodiwala IN, Patel DD, Shah PM. Epidemiological determinants of tobacco use in Gujarat state, India. Indian J Community Med. 2006;31:173-6.

Downloads

Published

2017-01-14

How to Cite

Salman, S., Khalil, R., & Gul, S. (2017). Culture-bound addictions among low income workers of Karachi, Pakistan. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 3(10), 2770–2774. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20150829

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles