A systematic review on tobacco use among civilian populations affected by armed conflict

Abstract

Some evidence indicates links between conflict and tobacco use but substantially more research is required.

Tobacco smoking and health-related quality of life among university students: Mediating effect of depression

“…and smoking and second-hand smoking is common in public places. Additionally, evidence suggests that people who live in regions affected by the armed conflict smoke more compared to those who live in non-conflict areas [22]. Therefore, a discrepancy in the prevalence of smoking between Belgrade University and Kosovska Mitrovica University could be expected.…”

Tobacco in post-conflict settings: the case of Iraq

“…With 26 countries now considered to be in active conflict or in the post-conflict setting [1], some 1.5 billion people are living in high exposure risk settings worldwide [2]. Evidence points towards links between conflict [3, 4, 5] and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [6, 7] to tobacco use; as a result, these populations are much more likely to use, and/or be exposed to, tobacco. This can be attributed in part to the perceived stress relief of tobacco [3], and also to international tobacco companies using the weakened political situation in conflict zones to their advantage, by smuggling cigarettes [8] and shaping tobacco policy [9].…”

“…Evidence points towards links between conflict [3, 4, 5] and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [6, 7] to tobacco use; as a result, these populations are much more likely to use, and/or be exposed to, tobacco. This can be attributed in part to the perceived stress relief of tobacco [3], and also to international tobacco companies using the weakened political situation in conflict zones to their advantage, by smuggling cigarettes [8] and shaping tobacco policy [9]. Increases in smoking prevalence are not limited to the civilian population; there is a greater than average prevalence of smoking in army recruits [10], which increases further in those who are deployed, and especially those with combat exposure [11].…”

A Systematic Review on Harmful Alcohol Use Among Civilian Populations Affected by Armed Conflict in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…(Jones & Fear, 2011;Kehle, Ferrier-Auerbach, Meis, Arbisi, Erbes, & Polusny, 2012;Kline, Weiner, Ciccone, Interian, St Hill, & Losonczy, 2014) In addition, the hardships experienced in conflict and post-conflict settings including limited access to health care, poor living conditions, loss of family and friends, and fragmented social support, may contribute to harmful alcohol use. (Ezard, 2012;Lo, Patel, & Roberts, 2015) Evidence from stable settings highlights the relationship between low social capital to individual high risk alcohol use, (Weitzman & Chen, 2005) and the greater harm per unit alcohol consumed in poor populations than rich ones. (Rehm, Mathers, Popova, Thavorncharoensap, Teerawattananon, & Patra, 2009) Harmful alcohol use is also a known risk-factor for NCDs in stable settings (Boden & Fergusson, 2011;G.…”