Abstract:
This report examines the prevalence of
current cigarette smoking and tobacco use
among women and men in 49 developing
countries. Data for the analysis were
obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys
(DHS) conducted between 1999 and 2010. The
report describes the proportion of women and
men age 15-49 within the countries who report
currently using manufactured cigarettes,
other forms of smoked tobacco, and smokeless
tobacco. The study also explores
differentials in cigarette smoking by
selected sociodemographic characteristics.
The prevalence of any tobacco use varies
substantially worldwide for women and men.
For men, the prevalence of any tobacco use
exceeds 40 percent in all the countries
examined in North Africa/West Asia/Europe,
Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia.
Timor-Leste has the highest prevalence of
tobacco use for men, with 7 out of 10 men
currently using at least one form of tobacco.
Lower prevalence of tobacco use for men is
generally found in countries in sub-Saharan
Africa and Latin America/Caribbean. Women are
much less likely than men to report using
tobacco in all the countries with available
data. The highest prevalence of tobacco use
for women is found in Madagascar (21
percent), Nepal (20 percent), and Ukraine (15
percent). The results show significant
variation in the prevalence of cigarette
smoking for women and men by age, marital
status, level of education, urban-rural area,
employment and cash earnings (women only),
occupation (men only), household wealth,
maternity status, exposure to mass media, and
migration status (men only).
Tobacco Use by Men and Women in 49 Countries with Demographic and Health Surveys (PDF, 1609K)