CHEN PEI-CHING
@utaipei.edu.tw
Associate Professor Department of Health and Welfare
University of Taipei
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Health Policy, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Yun-Xuan Zheng and Pei-Ching Chen
BACKGROUND
There is growing concern related to the recent rise in consumption of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and heated tobacco products. The government should pay more attention to the use of various tobacco products by university students.
PURPOSE
Problem behavior theory was used in this study to explore the factors influencing the use of various tobacco products by university students in the Greater Taipei area.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, convenience sampling was used to select eight institutions of higher education in the Greater Taipei area. Eight departments recognized by the Ministry of Education were then listed on a table for use in randomizing the selection of third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. A total of 115 participants filled out the questionnaires included in the self-administered online survey. Data analysis was conducted using logistic regression.
RESULTS
The prevalence of tobacco-product use in the sample was 5.22%. Logistic regression analysis revealed having parents who smoked (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 2.05), holding a positive attitude toward their parents' smoking (AOR = 4.23), having peers who smoked (AOR = 4.33), engaging in deviant behavior (AOR = 90.44), and having peers involved in deviant behavior (AOR = 103.99) to be associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in tobacco-product use.
CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Family, peers and delinquency significantly influence the usage behavior of university students with regard to tobacco products. The government should allocate greater resources for tobacco harm prevention education aimed at the parents of university students. In addition, integrating tobacco harm education into campus curricula, utilizing social media for online digital education, and providing students with counseling and support measures are strategies that may help reduce the tobacco-product use among this vulnerable population.
Li-Chuan Chang, Yue-Chune Lee, Chieh Hsu, and Pei-Ching Chen
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Objective To determine the penetration of heated tobacco products (HTPs) into the youth market in Taiwan, with a particular focus on the correlation between IQOS use and the usage of other tobacco products. Methods Data from the 2018 Global Youth Tobacco Survey were used to assess previous experience with and current use (within 30 days prior to survey completion) of IQOS products by Taiwanese students aged 12–18 years. Independent variables included the usage patterns of conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The control variables included background information (gender, grade, monthly income/allowance, household educational level, smoking status at home and among close friends), access to free cigarettes, as well as exposure to cigarette advertisements and anti-tobacco courses. Logistic regression was used to identify tobacco usage patterns correlated with IQOS use. Results In 2018, 2.33% of Taiwan’s adolescents were currently using IQOS and 4.17% had tried IQOS. The use of conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes (individually and together) were associated with an elevated risk of the ever use and current use of IQOS. Conclusion Despite the fact that HTP products are not sold legally in Taiwan, the use of IQOS products by young people is far from negligible. We recommend amending the “Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act” to include regulations pertaining to the sale and marketing of HTPs.
Yue-Chune Lee, Li-Chuan Chang, Chieh Hsu, and Pei-Ching Chen
Hindawi Limited
Objectives. Our objective in this study was to identify the risk factors for cigarette, e-cigarette, and IQOS use among adolescents in Taiwan, with a particular focus on socioeconomic status, smoking status of parents and peers, cigarette promotions, and anti-tobacco campaigns. Methods. Data were obtained from the 2018 version of the annual cross-sectional Taiwan Global Youth Tobacco Survey, which is used to monitor tobacco use among Taiwanese adolescents in junior and senior high schools. The dependent variables in the study were “current cigarette smoking,” “current use of e-cigarettes,” and “current use of IQOS devices” (i.e., during the 30 days prior to survey completion). Independent variables included gender, school grade, monthly income/allowance, educational level of parents, smoking status of parents, smoking status of close friends, access to free cigarettes, exposure to cigarette advertisements, and attendance at anti-tobacco courses. Logistic regression was used in the identification of factors correlated with the current use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or IQOS. Results. We determined that 5.65% of the adolescents in the study were currently using cigarettes, 2.74% were currently using e-cigarettes, and 2.33% were currently using IQOS. Our analysis revealed a number of factors that have a bearing on smoking behavior, including gender, monthly allowance, educational level of parents, smoking status of parents and close friends, access to free cigarettes, and exposure to cigarette advertisements. Conclusions. The tobacco product that was most widely used by adolescents was cigarettes, followed by e-cigarettes and IQOS. The socioeconomic status, smoking status of parents/close friends, and access to cigarettes were all identified as important factors related to the current use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and IQOS by adolescents.
Nien-Chen Kuo, W. Chen, Ming-Chin Yang and P. Chen
Pei-Ching Chen, Li-Chuan Chang, Chieh Hsu, and Yue-Chune Lee
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Introduction
We investigated the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) with traditional cigarettes among adolescents during 2014 to 2016 to identify risk factors for using e-cigarettes only, traditional cigarettes only, or both products.
Methods
We used cross-sectional data from the Taiwan Global Youth Tobacco Survey, (conducted over a 3-year period by the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan), which is representative of tobacco use among adolescents aged 12-18 years. The outcome variable was smoking behavior. Dependent variables included gender, grade, monthly income/allowance, parents' educational level, parents' smoking status, close friends' smoking status, use of other tobacco products, contact with cigarette/e-cigarette advertisements, and access to free cigarettes/e-cigarettes. Multinomial regression identify factors influencing the smoking behaviors of adolescents, as manifested in the use of traditional cigarettes only, e-cigarettes only, e-cigarettes with traditional cigarettes, and nonsmoking.
Results
When weighted to the population, the sample included 1723150 adolescents in 2014, 1691568 adolescents in 2015, and 1627216 adolescents in 2016. The rates averaged over three years were as follows: nonsmoking (91.6%), traditional cigarettes only (5.4%), e-cigarettes only (1.5%), and dual usage (1.6%). Among adolescents in Taiwan, the following were risk factors for dual use: male, older, high monthly allowance, smoking parents, smoking friends, use of other tobacco products, contact with cigarette advertisements, and access to free cigarettes.
Conclusions
Our results revealed an increase in the number of adolescents using e-cigarettes with traditional cigarettes. We recommend that the government continue smoking cessation programs while maintaining control over advertisements and promotions for tobacco products.
Implications
This is the first study to examine the dual use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes among adolescents in Taiwan. This study identified the risk factors of using traditional cigarettes only, using e-cigarettes only, and the dual use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, with nonsmokers used as a reference group. This study examined the relationship between exposure to cigarette promotions and the use of various tobacco products including the dual use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes, both of which have been disregarded in previous studies.
Pei-Ching Chen, Li-Chuan Chang, Chieh Hsu, and Yue-Chune Lee
Elsevier BV
Pei-Ching Chen, Kquei-Nu Ko, and Yue-Chune Lee
Elsevier BV
Pei-Ching Chen, Raymond Nien-Chen Kuo, Chih-Kuan Lai, Shih-Tzu Tsai, and Yue-Chune Lee
BMJ
ObjectiveTo assess the relationship between smoking status and health-related quality of life 1 year after participation in a smoking cessation programme in Taiwan.DesignA cohort study of smokers who voluntarily participated in a smoking cessation programme with two follow-up assessments of smoking status via telephone interview, conducted 6 months and 1 year after finishing the smoking cessation programme.SettingHospitals and clinics providing smoking cessation services.ParticipantsA total of 3514 participants completed both telephone interviews, which represents a response rate of 64%. After the interviews, participants were divided into four groups according to their smoking status: (1) long-term quitters: participants who had quit tobacco use for 1 year; (2) short-term quitters: participants who had been smoking for at least 6 months and then quit tobacco for 6 months after participating in the programme; (3) relapsed smokers: participants who relapsed into tobacco use after ceasing tobacco use for 6 months; and (4) continuing smokers: participants who failed to quit smoking for at least 1 year, despite participating in the programme.InterventionsThe Outpatient Smoking Cessation Service of Taiwan provides counselling and pharmacotherapy to individuals seeking to quit smoking.Primary outcomesThe health-related quality of life of the participants was measured using an approved Chinese version of the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) descriptive system.ResultsAfter controlling for sex, age, education, marital status, job status, monthly income and disease status at baseline, our results revealed that long-term (OR=0.61 (0.48 to 0.77)) and short-term (OR=0.65 (0.54 to 0.79)) quitters experienced less anxiety and depression than did continuing smokers.ConclusionsOur study provides evidence to support claims that all quitters, regardless of whether they stop smoking for 6 months or 1 year, have better quality of life with regard to anxiety or depression.
Pei-Ching Chen, Ching-Yao Tsai, Lin-Chung Woung, and Yue-Chune Lee
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Pei-Ching Chen, Yue-Chune Lee, Shih-Tzu Tsai, and Chih-Kuan Lai
Oxford University Press (OUP)
INTRODUCTION
This study applied a cost-benefit analysis from a societal viewpoint to evaluate the Outpatient Smoking Cessation Services (OSCS) program.
METHODS
The costs measured in this study include the cost to the health sector, non-health sectors, the patients and their family, as well as the loss of productivity as a result of smoking. The benefits measured the medical costs savings and the earnings due to the increased life expectancy of a person that has stopped smoking for 15 years. Data were obtained from the primary data of a telephone survey, the literatures and reports from the Outpatient Smoking Cessation Management Center and government. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to verify the robustness of the results.
RESULTS
There were 169,761 cases that participated in the outpatient smoking cessation program in the years 2007 and 2008, of those cases, 8,282 successfully stopped smoking. The total cost of the OSCS program was 18 million USD. The total benefits of the program were 215 million USD with a 3% discount rate; the net benefit to society was 196 million USD. After conducting sensitivity analyses on the different abstinence, relapse, and discount rates, from a societal perspective, the benefits still far exceeded the costs, while from a health care perspective, there was only a net benefit when the respondent's abstinence rate was used.
CONCLUSIONS
From a societal perspective, the OSCS program in Taiwan is cost-beneficial. This study provides partial support for the policy makers to increase the budget and expand the OSCS program.
Pei-Ching Chen, Yue-Chune Lee, and Raymond Nienchen Kuo
Oxford University Press (OUP)
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the quality of care from the perspective of patients who participated in the diabetes pay-for-performance (P4P) program in Taiwan.
DESIGN
A cross-sectional telephone interview to measure the quality of care for patients with diabetes mellitus.
SETTING
A stratified sampling according to the level and region of the health-care providers in Taiwan.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1796 patients with diabetes mellitus responded to the telephone survey.
INTERVENTIONS
The patients were divided into two groups according to the length of time they had participated in the program: (1) the case group, who had received comprehensive care for at least 1 year and (2) the control group, who were newly enrolled in the diabetes mellitus P4P program for <3 months.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The compliance of diabetes self-care and the level of satisfaction with the quality of care from the perspective of the patients.
RESULTS
After controlling for the characteristics of the health-care providers involved, pattern of diabetes treatment, self-reported health status and other patient characteristics, the case group performed better in exercise, had regular medication and better foot care and showed overall compliance with diabetes self-care and perceived better quality of care than the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
The patients who had received comprehensive care for 1 year showed better compliance with self-care and were more satisfied with the quality of care they had received. The P4P program appears to be associated with this enhanced care.