Tobacco and substance use: perceptions and practices among men in Bagnibari, Bangladesh

Abstract

Tobacco and substance abuse are associated with several serious diseases and despite understanding their negative health consequences, men in Bangladesh still smoke at a rate higher than elsewhere in South Asia. There is little information concerning substance use in men in rural or urbanizing areas of Bangladesh. This study was a qualitative, exploratory study of the practices and emic perspective of men’s tobacco and substance use in order to more fully understand why men choose to use and their associations with use. The research team sampled men in Bagnibari village, Bangladesh, and questioned them on theirs as well as the community’s perceptions and use of tobacco and substances conducting a series of qualitative methods. Men within the study associated smoking at first as a social behavior but as their habits grew, they smoked on their own. Substance use on the other hand started in social situations and remained social. Participating men showed components of individual will and assertion of independence which were made more convenient through the perceived acceptance of men smoking among the community.