BACKGROUND: The enacting of the tobacco control statutory instruments into law and the tobacco control interventions in the Lusaka suggest that the prevalence of tobacco use in Lusaka may have declined. The objective of the study was to examine changes in the prevalence of tobacco use in Lusaka in the period 2002-2021.
METHODS: Zambia has conducted 4 Global Youth Tobacco Surveys (GYTS) in 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2021. The 2011 GYTS had a low response, and the data from the 2011 GYTS has been excluded from the analysis. We used secondary GYTS data obtained in 2002, 2007 and 2021. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% Confidence Intervals were used to establish associations.
RESULTS: The age distribution across all surveys was similar. However, the sex distribution changed from more males in the 2002 sample to more females in the subsequent surveys. The rates of current cigarette smoking and tobacco use in general were similar in 2002 and 2007 but reduced by half from about 10.2% to 5.2% cigarette smoking, and from 17.9% in 2007 to 5.3% in 2021. After adjusting for age and sex, students in 2002 (AOR =1.23, 95% CI [1.19, 1.27]) and 2007 (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI [1.30, 1.38]) were more likely to currently smoke cigarettes than students in 2021. Comparing with students in 2021, students in 2007 were 1.96 (95% CI [1.92, 2.00]) times more likely to use tobacco.
CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing interventions on tobacco control in Lusaka might have had an impact on the reduction of the prevalence of tobacco use in Lusaka. In sustaining the reduction in prevalence of tobacco use in the country, factors obtained in the current study should be considered in designing interventions.