Smoking behaviour among female airline cabin crew from ten Asian countries

Abstract

Objective - To identify factors related to the high prevalence of smoking behaviour among a sample of female airline cabin crew of Asian origin. Design - A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 585 Asian women, aged 20-41 years working as experienced cabin crew for a major international airline. Main outcome measures - Subjects answered questions on their knowledge of the consequences of smoking, the per¬ceived effects of smoking, their per¬ceptions of the social images of smoking and non-smoking women, and current and past smoking behaviour. Subjects also rated women depicted in cigarette, cosmetic, alcohol and luxury goods ad¬vertisements using ten predefined social descriptors. Results -An overall current smoking prevalence of 26 % (95 % confidence in¬terval 22-30 %) was identified, with wide variation according to national origin of subjects. More than 75 % of respondents were aware of the commonly emphasized hazards of smoking, and no significant differences were found in health knowl¬edge between smokers and non-smokers. However, only about half of the subjects correctly identified the interactions be¬tween smoking and oral contraceptive use and the increased risk for heavy smokers of dying before the age of 65 years. More smokers than non-smokers believed cigarettes could help control body weight. Smokers emphasized posi¬tive effects of smoking more than non-smokers, and smokers tended to perceive women depicted in cigarette advertise¬ments as attractive, elegant, fit, sociable, and adventurous to a greater degree than did non-smokers. Conclusions - There was no difference in health knowledge about tobacco-related diseases between smokers and non-smokers. It seems, therefore, that health risks alone are not reason enough for smokers to change smoking behaviour in this study population. Instead, health promotion should emphasize the social detriment of smoking for women, and restrictions on the depiction of positive social images in tobacco advertising should be considered.