Risk perception and correlates of tobacco use among young people outside of formal school settings in Lagos State, Nigeria

O. O. Odukoya*, M. R. Dada, T. Olubodun, U. A. Igwilo, O. A. Ayo-Yusuf

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Tobacco use among youth is a major public health problem. Youth outside of formal school settings are often understudied but may be at increased risk. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 326 young people aged 15-24 years in four randomly selected motor parks in Lagos state. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21.0±2.3yrs. Many 252 (77.3%) dropped out before the end of the third year of secondary schooling. The majority were aware that active (78.2%), and passive smoking (77.3%) are harmful to health. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents disagreed with an outright ban of cigarettes (63.2%) and restriction of cigarette sales to persons below 18 years (67.9%) while 254 (66.8%) supported a ban on tobacco smoking in enclosed public places. One hundred and fifty (46.0%) respondents had experimented with smoking of which 106 (32.5%) had progressed to become current smokers. Half of the current smokers, 54 (50.9%), felt the need for a cigarette first thing in the morning. A multivariate analysis for smoking initiation, showed that for every increasing year of age, respondents were 1.08 times more likely to have initiated cigarette smoking; males and respondents who lived alone or with peers were 2.34 times and 1.77 times more likely to have initiated smoking respectively; those who consume alcohol and marijuana were 7.27 and 1.89 times respectively more likely to have initiated smoking while those who consumed alcohol were 6.17 times more likely to be current smokers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2833-2839
Number of pages7
JournalAsian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
Volume17
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescent smoking
  • Lagos
  • Nigeria
  • Non-formal school settings
  • Risk factors

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