MyMedR

Displaying all 4 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext The Bad With the Good? The Relation Between Gender Empowerment and Female-to-Male Cigarette Smoking Rates Across 74 Countries

Hitchman SC, Fong GT

Citation: Hitchman SC, Fong GT. The Bad With the Good? The Relation Between Gender Empowerment and Female-to-Male Cigarette Smoking Rates Across 74 Countries. ITC Project Working Paper Series. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.; 2010

Objective: Worldwide it is estimated that men smoke at nearly five times the rate of women. However, there is wide variation across countries in the gender smoking ratio (ratio of female-to-male smoking prevalence rates). Lower smoking rates among women have been attributed to social norms against women smoking, and women’s lower social status and economic resources. We tested the hypothesis that in countries with higher gender empowerment, the gender smoking ratio would be closer to 1.
Methods: We correlated the gender smoking ratio (calculated from the 2008 WHO Global Tobacco Control Report) and the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). Because a country’s progression through stages of the tobacco epidemic and its gender smoking ratio has been attributed to its level of development, we also examined this relation partialling on economic development (Gross National Income (GNI) per capita), and income inequality (Gini).
Findings: The gender smoking ratio was significantly and positively correlated with the GEM. GEM was also the strongest predictor of the gender smoking ratio when controlling for GNI per capita and Gini in a multiple regression analysis.
Key Conclusions: The findings identify a challenge for countries undergoing economic development and greater gender equality: can such progress take place without a corresponding increase in smoking rates among women? These findings thus highlight the need for strong tobacco control in countries in which gender equality is increasing.
Fulltext Awareness, trial, and current use of electronic cigarettes in 10 countries: Findings from the ITC project

Gravely S, Fong GT, Cummings KM, Yan M, Quah AC, Borland R, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2014 Nov 13;11(11):11691-704.
PMID: 25421063 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph111111691

BACKGROUND: In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers.

METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (≥ 18 years) current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use.

RESULTS: There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%), Republic of Korea (2010: 79%), United States (2010: 73%), Australia (2013: 66%), Malaysia (2011: 62%), United Kingdom (2010: 54%), Canada (2010: 40%), Brazil (2013: 37%), Mexico (2012: 34%), and China (2009: 31%)), in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%), Malaysia (19%), Netherlands (18%), United States (15%), Republic of Korea (11%), United Kingdom (10%), Brazil (8%), Mexico (4%), Canada (4%), and China (2%)), and in current use (Malaysia (14%), Republic of Korea (7%), Australia (7%), United States (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Netherlands (3%), Canada (1%), and China (0.05%)) [corrected].

CONCLUSIONS: The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine), and the survey timing along the trajectory of e-cigarette awareness and trial/use in each country. These ITC results constitute an important snapshot of an early stage of what appears to be a rapid progression of global e-cigarette use.
Fulltext Correction: Gravely, S., et al. Awareness, Trial, and Current Use of Electronic Cigarettes in 10 Countries: Findings from the ITC Project. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11, 11691-11704

Gravely S, Fong GT, Cummings KM, Yan M, Quah AC, Borland R, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2015 May;12(5):4631-7.
PMID: 25922990 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120504631

The authors wish to make the following amendments to their paper published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Fulltext Prevalence of awareness, ever-use and current use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) among adult current smokers and ex-smokers in 14 countries with differing regulations on sales and marketing of NVPs: cross-sectional findings from the ITC Project

Gravely S, Driezen P, Ouimet J, Quah ACK, Cummings KM, Thompson ME, et al.

Addiction, 2019 06;114(6):1060-1073.
PMID: 30681215 DOI: 10.1111/add.14558

AIMS: This paper presents updated prevalence estimates of awareness, ever-use, and current use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from 14 International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) countries that have varying regulations governing NVP sales and marketing.
DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: A cross-sectional analysis of adult (≥ 18 years) current smokers and ex-smokers from 14 countries participating in the ITC Project. Data from the most recent survey questionnaire for each country were included, which spanned the period 2013-17. Countries were categorized into four groups based on regulations governing NVP sales and marketing (allowable or not), and level of enforcement (strict or weak where NVPs are not permitted to be sold): (1) most restrictive policies (MRPs), not legal to be sold or marketed with strict enforcement: Australia, Brazil, Uruguay; (2) restrictive policies (RPs), not approved for sale or marketing with weak enforcement: Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand; (3) less restrictive policies (LRPs), legal to be sold and marketed with regulations: England, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, United States; and (4) no regulatory policies (NRPs), Bangladesh, China, Zambia. Countries were also grouped by World Bank Income Classifications. Country-specific weighted logistic regression models estimated adjusted NVP prevalence estimates for: awareness, ever/current use, and frequency of use (daily versus non-daily).
FINDINGS: NVP awareness and use were lowest in NRP countries. Generally, ever- and current use of NVPs were lower in MRP countries (ever-use = 7.1-48.9%; current use = 0.3-3.5%) relative to LRP countries (ever-use = 38.9-66.6%; current use = 5.5-17.2%) and RP countries (ever-use = 10.0-62.4%; current use = 1.4-15.5%). NVP use was highest among high-income countries, followed by upper-middle-income countries, and then by lower-middle-income countries.
CONCLUSIONS: With a few exceptions, awareness and use of nicotine vaping products varied by the strength of national regulations governing nicotine vaping product sales/marketing, and by country income. In countries with no regulatory policies, use rates were very low, suggesting that there was little availability, marketing and/or interest in nicotine vaping products in these countries where smoking populations are predominantly poorer. The higher awareness and use of nicotine vaping products in high income countries with moderately (e.g. Canada, New Zealand) and less (e.g. England, United States) restrictive policies, is likely due to the greater availability and affordability of nicotine vaping products.