Abstract
BACKGROUND: Betel quid chewing, often combined with tobacco chewing, is a common habit in the Indian subcontinent. It is associated with the development of malignancy of the oral mucosa and foregut. Among Asian communities in the United Kingdom (UK), Bangladeshis are particularly likely to retain this habit. AIM: To investigate the prevalence of betel quid chewing, smoking, and knowledge of health hazards associated with these habits among the Bangladeshi population in an east London general practice. METHOD: A bilingual postal questionnaire to all 306 adults (25 years and over) identified as being of Bangladeshi origin within one practice in east London. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 46%. The prevalence of betel quid chewing was over 80% with no sex difference. Men were more likely to smoke tobacco than women (men = 57%, women = 11%, X2 = 33.3, P < 0.001), but over half the women added tobacco to their quid for chewing. Whereas over 80% of both male and female respondents identified the health risk of smoking, only one third identified oral cancer as a risk. In all, 25% of respondents started chewing in the UK. CONCLUSIONS: The low response rate is discussed. The findings indicate that the majority of Bangladeshi respondents are unaware of the health risks of a common social habit, although well informed about smoking risks. A government health warning should be introduced for betel quid sold in the UK.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (41.5 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Awang M. N. Betel quid and oral carcinogenesis. Singapore Med J. 1988 Dec;29(6):589–593. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Boucher B. J., Ewen S. W., Stowers J. M. Betel nut (Areca catechu) consumption and the induction of glucose intolerance in adult CD1 mice and in their F1 and F2 offspring. Diabetologia. 1994 Jan;37(1):49–55. doi: 10.1007/BF00428777. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Donaldson L. J., Clayton D. G. Occurrence of cancer in Asians and non-Asians. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1984 Sep;38(3):203–207. doi: 10.1136/jech.38.3.203. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gupta P. C., Mehta F. S., Pindborg J. J., Bhonsle R. B., Murti P. R., Daftary D. K., Aghi M. B. Primary prevention trial of oral cancer in india: a 10-year follow-up study. J Oral Pathol Med. 1992 Nov;21(10):433–439. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1992.tb00970.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MacCarthy B., Craissati J. Ethnic differences in response to adversity. A community sample of Bangladeshis and their indigenous neighbours. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1989 Jul;24(4):196–201. doi: 10.1007/BF02351821. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Murti P. R., Bhonsle R. B., Pindborg J. J., Daftary D. K., Gupta P. C., Mehta F. S. Malignant transformation rate in oral submucous fibrosis over a 17-year period. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1985 Dec;13(6):340–341. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1985.tb00468.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nicoll A., Bassett K., Ulijaszek S. J. What's in a name? Accuracy of using surnames and forenames in ascribing Asian ethnic identity in English populations. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1986 Dec;40(4):364–368. doi: 10.1136/jech.40.4.364. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Russell M. A., Wilson C., Taylor C., Baker C. D. Effect of general practitioners' advice against smoking. Br Med J. 1979 Jul 28;2(6184):231–235. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6184.231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Summers R. M., Williams S. A., Curzon M. E. The use of tobacco and betel quid ('pan') among Bangladeshi women in West Yorkshire. Community Dent Health. 1994 Mar;11(1):12–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taylor R. F., al-Jarad N., John L. M., Conroy D. M., Barnes N. C. Betel-nut chewing and asthma. Lancet. 1992 May 9;339(8802):1134–1136. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)90732-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taylor V., Robson J., Evans S. Risk factors for coronary heart disease: a study in inner London. Br J Gen Pract. 1992 Sep;42(362):377–380. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- van Wyk C. W., Stander I., Padayachee A., Grobler-Rabie A. F. The areca nut chewing habit and oral squamous cell carcinoma in South African Indians. A retrospective study. S Afr Med J. 1993 Jun;83(6):425–429. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]