TITLE:
Prevalence and predictors of smoking in a mining town in Kitwe, Zambia: A 2011 population-based survey
AUTHORS:
Cosmas Zyaambo, Olusegun Babaniyi, Peter Songolo, Adamson S. Muula, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Seter Siziya
KEYWORDS:
Smoking; Health Education; Alcohol Consumption; Zambia
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.6,
June
11,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Smoking is one of the major preventable causes of death and
non-communicable diseases which include hypertension, cardiovascular diseases
and cancers. The aim of the study is to establish prevalence and predictors of
smoking so that interventions specific to these communities can be executed to
prevent smoking. A cross sectional study was conducted using a modified World
Health Organizations Global Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) Surveillance Initiative NCD-STEPs 1 and 2. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine
the determinants of tobacco smoking. A total of 1627 individuals
participated in the survey, of which 42.3% were males. About half of the participants
were of age 25-34 years (56.0%), and 41.7% had attained secondary level of
education. Overall, 8.7% of the participants (18.1% among males and 1.8% among
females) currently smoked any tobacco product. Female respondents were 71% (AOR
= 0.29, 95%CI [0.21, 0.39]) less likely to smoke cigarettes compared to male respondents. Compared to respondents who had no formal education, respondents who had
attained primary level of education were 45% (AOR = 1.45, 95%CI [1.02, 2.08])
more likely to smoke, and those who attained college or university level of
education were 57% (AOR = 0.43, 95%CI [0.28, 0.65]) less likely to smoke. Respondents
who did not consume alcohol were 50% (AOR = 0.50,
95%CI [0.41, 0.61]) less likely to smoke compared to those who consumed alcohol.
The study showed that sex, education, and alcohol consumption were
independently associated with Smoking. These are the key determinants which
should be considered when designing a health education and awareness campaign
to the residents.