Smoking behavior within families

Household exposure in Sama Subur Village, Indonesia

Abstract

Although smoking remains a persistent public health concern, household-level evidence on family smoking practices and secondhand smoke exposure in rural Indonesian communities remains limited, making this study relevant for local tobacco-control planning. This study aimed to describe smoking behavior within families in Sama Subur Village, Motui District, North Konawe Regency. A descriptive quantitative study with a survey design was conducted among residents of Sama Subur Village. The study used total sampling and involved 46 respondents. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed descriptively to present respondent characteristics, smoking patterns, smoking locations, household exposure to cigarette smoke, and the presence of family rules restricting smoking inside the house. The findings showed that most heads of families worked as farmers (45.6%) and had completed senior high school or vocational high school education (47.8%). Most households had at least one smoking family member (69.6%), with husbands representing the largest proportion of smokers (84.4%). Half of smokers consumed more than eleven cigarettes per day (50.0%), and most had smoked for more than six years (87.5%). Smoking most commonly occurred on the porch (34.4%), although some respondents reported smoking inside the house (18.8%). Exposure to cigarette smoke was frequently experienced by respondents (76.5%), while most households had no rule prohibiting smoking inside the house (81.2%). These findings indicate the need for family-based education, smoke-free home rules, and community-level tobacco-control interventions.