Betel Quid Dependence in Rural Adults: Bangladesh Context data set

Background: Betel quid is commonly used in South-East Asia, and its dependence has been identified as a global public health problem because to its negative health consequences. The areca nut in betel quid is the world's fourth most psychoactive drug and a recognized cause of oral cavity and esophageal malignancies, and when coupled with smokeless tobacco, pharyngeal cancer.The study's goal was to assess dependence among betel quid users and identify relevant characteristics.
Method: This cross-sectional research was conducted from January to June 2023 among 400 adult betel quid users in Bhalukaupazilla, Mymensingh. A pre-tested interview questionnaire, comprising the Betel Quid Dependency Scale (BQDS), was utilized to assess user dependency and identify relevant variables, and data were analyzed using SPSS v21 software.
Result: This study indicated that 88.25% of betel quid users developed dependency. Daily betel quid consumption averaged 7.8±7.22 quid. Approximately 89.25% of all respondents used tobacco, whereas 10.75% did not use any type of tobacco.Females were more likely to acquire dependency [ (AOR) 4.32; 95% (CI) 1.65 to 11.33], whereas individuals with a higher degree of education were less likely to do so(AOR 0.13; 95% Cl 0.04 to 0.45).Factors such as betel quid usage frequency(AOR 3.07; 95% Cl 1.89 to 5.00) and duration of consumption(AOR 1.12; 95% Cl 1.05 to 1.18) were shown to be highly significant (p=0.0001) in predicting betel quid dependency.
Conclusion: In this study, betel quid users who used tobacco additives were much more likely to develop dependency. Betel quid dependency was also linked to gender, education level, frequency of daily betel quid usage, and length of use. Betel quid chewing is a lifestyle habit that can be difficult to break, thus designing behavior change motivational programs can help individuals quit.