Social variations in tobacco products consumption in Kenya: The influence of education, employment status and gender

Abstract

Objective: The consumption of tobacco products in resource limited settings is envisaged to greatly contribute to all times high global burden of disease especially in low- and middle-income earning economies. over 78% of the world users of tobacco products currently live in resource limited settings and this coupled with myriad of health challenges in these countries, the continued consumption of these products is a subject that cannot be ignored. To determine various social variations in consumption of tobacco products and how gender, employment status and education level influences its consumption. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with simple random sampling was used. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS. Chi- Square and Odds Ratio were used to test for significance of association. Results: Overall tobacco products use according to education level showed a sturdy gradient; risks were higher among respondents with no education (male OR=7.42, female OR=20.11) than among those in tertiary level of education. The odds of tobacco products use were equally significant according to employment status; casual male workers (OR=1.58), male semi-skilled workers (OR=1.49), and unemployed (male OR=1.31 female OR=1.81) were more at risk than skilled workers. Conclusions: The outcome of this research reveals that education and employment status have critical and independent relationships with tobacco products consumption that necessitate consideration from legislators and investigators.