Current tobacco use is associated with mental morbidity and health risk behaviours among school-going adolescents in Liberia and Mauritius

ABSTRACT

Background

The aim of the study was to provide estimates on associations between tobacco use and mental morbidity and health risk behaviors among adolescents in Liberia and Mauritius.

Methods

Cross-sectional and national school health survey data were analyzed from adolescents (median age, 17 years) in Liberia and Mauritius in 2017.

Results

Overall, 17.8% of the students reported current tobacco use. In the final logistic regression model, current tobacco use was associated with five poor mental health indicators (loneliness, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide plan), and 12 health risk behaviors (current alcohol use, current cannabis use, lifetime amphetamine use, leisure-time sedentary behavior, fast food and soft drink, non-condom use, multiple sexual partners, non-birth control use, involvement in physical fighting, serious injury, and school truancy).

Conclusions

Interventions should include multiple comorbidities with tobacco use.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• health behavior
• tobacco use
• Liberia
• Mauritius
• adolescents

Acknowledgments

The data source, “the World Health Organization NCD Microdata Repository (URL: https://extranet.who.int/ncdsmicrodata/index.php/catalog), is hereby acknowledged.”

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.