Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke in the Nonsmoking Population of Cambodia

Objective To estimate the extent of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among nonsmokers in the adult population of Cambodia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 13,988 Cambodian adults in 2005. Information on smoking and exposure to ETS was obtained by trained interviewers using a standard questionnaire. Results Overall, 37.4% of the 10,263 nonsmoking responders, or an estimated 1,629,700 nonsmoking Cambodians, were exposed to ETS. One third of pregnant women (31.4%) were exposed to ETS at home. In both unadjusted and adjusted models, men were less likely to be exposed to ETS at home (OR=0.34; 95% CI=0.29–0.41) and more likely to be exposed to ETS at work and in public places (OR=3.08; 95% CI=2.14–4.43 and OR=2.17; 95% CI=1.82–2.59, respectively). Education was inversely related to ETS exposure at home (OR=0.51; 95% CI=0.27–0.96 for 10 years of education vs 5 years or less). Legislators, senior officials, and managers were less likely to be exposed to ETS at home than professionals (OR=0.13; 95% CI=0.04–0.46), but more likely to be exposed at work or in public places. Rural residence was associated with higher ETS exposure in the home (OR=2.52; 95% CI=1.71–3.71) and lower ETS exposure at work (OR=0.42; 95% CI=0.24–0.76) compared to urban residence. Conclusions The high prevalence of ETS exposure among adult Cambodians indicates an urgent need for specific measures such as public awareness campaigns, policies, and regulations to protect nonsmokers in Cambodia.