COMPARATIVE HEALTH HAZARD ANALYSIS OF NON-TOBACCO AND TOBACCO PRODUCER IN MANIKGANJ DISTRICT OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

Tobacco farming people, especially women and children, suffer from specific kinds of respiratory diseases at the time of curing in direct sunlight or the fired-cured method. Tobacco cultivation is responsible for severe non-communicable diseases among tobacco producers and other people in tobacco-cultivated areas. To estimate the health costs of individuals in tobacco-cultivated areas, a cross-sectional and comparative study was undertaken among tobacco and non-tobacco farmers with family members in Manikganj districts. A total of 120 households were selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling technique, and each household head was interviewed face-to-face using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather information on households, family members, health hazards (categorized as severe, moderate, and mild), and farming. The quantitative data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical approaches. In this study, 120 households consisted of a total of 501 household members. About three-fifth (64.27%) of all household members suffered from tobacco-related sickness. The average treatment costs for non-tobacco and tobacco growers were BDT 5,015 and BDT 9,733.57, respectively. The average number of sick days and lost workdays were 17.74 and 9.82 for non-tobacco growers, compared to 20.17 and 12.29 for tobacco growers. The binary logistic regression results indicate that sicknesses were found to be a higher risk for tobacco growers at the severe level compared to non-tobacco growers. The health risks of tobacco farming, including green tobacco sickness and other issues caused by excessive exposure to pesticides, chemicals, tobacco dust, and long working hours; the severity of these issues increased during cultivation. Moreover, tobacco cultivation carries the risk of disease burden. To achieve a tobacco-free country by 2040, tobacco farmers should cultivate food crops that are profitable and no health hazard of the farmers from a broader perspective instead of cultivating tobacco.