TY - JOUR
T1 - A cross-sectional investigation of softening indicators among South African smokers
T2 - Results from the South African Social Attitudes Survey between 2007 and 2018
AU - Egbe, Catherine O.
AU - Kulik, Margarete C.
AU - Londani, Mukhethwa
AU - Ngobese, Senamile P.
AU - Ayo-Yusuf, Olalekan A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Recent studies have shown softening among smokers in different countries and in different population groups i.e., as smoking prevalence declined remaining smokers made more quit attempts and smoked fewer cigarettes per day (CPD), as opposed to hardening. We examined tobacco use-related cross-sectional data from five waves of the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS 2007–2018, N = 14,822). Accounting for the SASAS's complex survey design, we ran logistic and linear regressions for smoking prevalence, and for the following indicators of softening: plans to quit smoking within a month, time to first cigarette (5 min, TTFC) and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD). We controlled for survey wave, age, sex, race, marital status, educational level and urban/rural residence. Smoking prevalence remained stable from 2007 (20.7%) to 2018 (22.2%) in the overall population of smokers (p = 0.197), and within sex and race group of smokers. In the adjusted model, there was a significant decline in CPD over time, 0.12 cigarettes per year. There was also a significant decrease in TTFC among males over time. Among women, CPD declined significantly by 0.32 cigarettes per year. The proportion of Asians/Indians planning to quit also decreased over time. South African smokers do not consistently show significant change in the softening indicators overall. Stronger tobacco control policies and better-tailored smoking cessation interventions are needed to achieve a significant decrease in smoking prevalence across sex and other subpopulations in South Africa.
AB - Recent studies have shown softening among smokers in different countries and in different population groups i.e., as smoking prevalence declined remaining smokers made more quit attempts and smoked fewer cigarettes per day (CPD), as opposed to hardening. We examined tobacco use-related cross-sectional data from five waves of the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS 2007–2018, N = 14,822). Accounting for the SASAS's complex survey design, we ran logistic and linear regressions for smoking prevalence, and for the following indicators of softening: plans to quit smoking within a month, time to first cigarette (5 min, TTFC) and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD). We controlled for survey wave, age, sex, race, marital status, educational level and urban/rural residence. Smoking prevalence remained stable from 2007 (20.7%) to 2018 (22.2%) in the overall population of smokers (p = 0.197), and within sex and race group of smokers. In the adjusted model, there was a significant decline in CPD over time, 0.12 cigarettes per year. There was also a significant decrease in TTFC among males over time. Among women, CPD declined significantly by 0.32 cigarettes per year. The proportion of Asians/Indians planning to quit also decreased over time. South African smokers do not consistently show significant change in the softening indicators overall. Stronger tobacco control policies and better-tailored smoking cessation interventions are needed to achieve a significant decrease in smoking prevalence across sex and other subpopulations in South Africa.
KW - Cigarettes per day
KW - Quit plans
KW - Smoking
KW - Softening
KW - South Africa
KW - Time to first cigarette
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127762149&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101785
DO - 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101785
M3 - Article
C2 - 35656217
AN - SCOPUS:85127762149
SN - 2211-3355
VL - 27
JO - Preventive Medicine Reports
JF - Preventive Medicine Reports
M1 - 101785
ER -