Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Abstract
Health risks stemming from betel-quid (BQ) chewing are frequently overlooked by people. Updated epidemiological data on the increased BQ use among Asian populations using comparable data collection methods have not been widely available. To investigate the prevalence, patterns of practice and associated types of oral preneoplastic disorders, an intercountry Asian Betel-quid Consortium study (the ABC study) was conducted for Taiwan, Mainland China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. A random sample of 8,922 subjects was recruited, and the data were analyzed using survey-data modules adjusted for the complex survey design. Chewing rates among men (10.7-43.6) were significantly higher than women (1.8-34.9) in Taiwan, Mainland China, Nepal and Sri Lanka, while women's rates (29.5-46.8) were higher than that for men (9.8-12.0) in Malaysia and Indonesia. An emerging, higher proportion of new-users were identified for Hunan in Mainland China (11.1-24.7), where Hunan chewers have the unique practice of using the dried husk of areca fruit rather than the solid nut universally used by others. Men in the Eastern and South Asian study communities were deemed likely to combine chewing with smoking and drinking (5.6-13.6). Indonesian women who chewed BQ exhibited the highest prevalence of oral lichen planus, oral submucous fibrosis and oral leukoplakia (9.1-17.3). Lower schooling, alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking were identified as being associated with BQ chewing. In conclusion, the ABC study reveals the significant cultural and demographic differences contributing to practice patterns of BQ usage and the great health risks that such practices pose in the Asian region.
Keywords
Areca, Nut Asia Betel-quid epidemiology, Oral Disorders, Substance Abuse
Divisions
OralPathologyOralMedicinePeriodontology
Publication Title
International Journal of Cancer
Volume
129
Issue
7
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons
Additional Information
Cited By (since 1996): 1 Export Date: 7 December 2011 Source: Scopus Address: Lee, C.-H.a b , Ko, A.M.-S.a , Warnakulasuriya, S.c , Yin, B.-L.d , Sunarjoe , Zain, R.B.f , Ibrahim, S.O.g , Liu, Z.-W.h , Li, W.-H.h , Zhang, S.-S.h , Kuntoroe , Utomo, B.e , Rajapakse, P.S.i , Warusavithana, S.A.i , Abdul Razak, I.j , Abdullah, N.k , Shrestha, P.l , Kwan, A.-L.m , Shieh, T.-Y.n , Chen, M.-K.o , Ko, Y.-C.a a Center of Excellence for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan b Department of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan c Department of Oral Medicine, King's College London, WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Cancer, London, United Kingdom d Department of Surgery, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Mainland, China e Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia f Faculty of Dentistry, Oral Cancer Research and Coordinating Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia g Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway h Department of Stomatology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Mainland, China i Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka j Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia k Oral Health Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia l B and B Hospital, Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal m Department of Neurosurgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan n Department of Oral Hygiene, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan o Oral Cancer Center, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan