Research

As the national university, we champion and support innovative research that addresses the country’s most pressing challenges.

07 May 2025

Proper water management and soil sanitation can help prevent crop losses caused by the Paramyrothecium fungus

Paramyrothecium is a fungus that can cause plant diseases like coffee leaf spots, muskmelon crown rot, and eggplant crater rot....

Read More

02 May 2025

Simulations show that rosette nanotube is a potential vehicle for anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel

Anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel (PTX) affect the healthy cells apart from the cancer cells, causing severe side effects. Targeted...

Read More

30 Apr 2025

Leni Robredo’s presidential campaign offered supporters spaces that reflected their hopes by highlighting gender and sexuality issues

This paper examines how Leni Robredo’s presidential campaign during the 2022 Philippines elections used language and visuals to create a...

Read More

30 Apr 2025

Researchers propose a modified inelastic bouncing ball model that includes collision time between the ball and its container

The behavior of granular materials subjected to shaking or vibration remains a complex puzzling phenomenon. A reliable strategy in science...

Read More

25 Apr 2025

A method has been developed to determine the minimum aperture size that a digital micromirror device can accurately render

A digital micromirror device (DMD) is a programmable pixelated instrument that uses an array of tiny individually switchable mirrors as...

Read More

25 Apr 2025

China’s projects aim not only to compete with the US but also to bring about positive change

This research looks at how China is becoming more influential in the world through projects like the Belt and Road...

Read More

24 Apr 2025

Non-democratic states, even if they perform well in sports, receive less media attention than democratic countries

In this study, Panao and Gache delve into the fascinating world of sports and its connection to global politics. Essentially,...

Read More

15 Apr 2025

Survivors of the 1974 Battle of Jolo wish to forget the tragedy but their memories expose the recent struggles of Muslim Mindanao

Moving beyond the disinformation surrounding Filipino memory construction of martial law this study delves into the experiences of civilians during...

Read More

11 Apr 2025

This study of the largest fast food group in the Philippines acquiring its competition adds to the limited, but growing, inventory of business case studies

This case is about the acquisition by the largest quick service restaurant (QSR) group in the Philippines, Jollibee Foods Corporation...

Read More

25 Mar 2025

Tracing Darna’s roots in Filipino folk culture challenges the typically male-centered Western superhero genre

Power is one of the most distinguishing features of the superhero genre. In this regard, one of the most recognizable...

Read More

18 Mar 2025

UP Manila

The clustering of tuberculosis cases could be linked to the El Niño phenomenon

This study focused on tuberculosis (TB) cases in Region III of the Philippines for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021,...

Read More

17 Mar 2025

Perceived factors to teenage pregnancy such as technological influence influence the manner of delivering services

Teenage pregnancy remains to be a major concern in the health of Filipino adolescents despite the nationwide adoption of sexual...

Read More

Research

Understanding the relationship between age at smoking initiation and later smoking intensity is crucial for assessing future health consequences of smoking early and informing strategies to prevent and reduce tobacco use. This study explores the relationship between the two smoking-related behaviors among Filipino daily smokers.

Secondary data analyses from the 2021 Global Adult Tobacco Survey Philippines were performed. This study covers those who reported being daily smokers. The outcome of interest was smoking intensity measured as the number of manufactured cigarettes consumed per day, while the main predictor was age at smoking initiation. Data from 2,260 participants were analyzed. Negative binomial regression was used to test for the relationship between age at smoking initiation and smoking intensity while controlling for socio-demographic variables and other smoking-related behaviors.

The average age at which daily smoking commenced was 20.93 (SD=6.35) years, while the average number of manufactured cigarettes consumed per day was 9.50 (SD=7.26). Age at smoking initiation was a significant predictor of smoking intensity, even after controlling for potential confounders. Each additional year of age at which smoking was initiated was associated with a 1.55% decrease in smoking intensity in the adjusted model. Other predictors of smoking intensity were current age, sex, and smoking rules at home.

Greater smoking intensity may be linked to early smoking initiation among Filipino adult daily smokers. The results may support interventions that target younger ages to curb heavy tobacco use at later ages.

The relationship between age at smoking initiation and smoking intensity has not yet been studied in the country. Thus, this study not only contributes to the understanding of the behavioral and health trajectories of Filipinos who start smoking at an early age, but also to the development of policies and programs aimed at preventing and reducing tobacco use among Filipinos.

Author: Samuel Brando H. Piamonte (Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila)

Read the full paper: https://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Greater-smoking-intensity-may-be-linked-to-early-smoking-initiation-among-Filipinos,194485,0,2.html

Photo by Rahu from Pexels