Tobacco use, cessation, secondhand smoke and exposure to media about tobacco in Brazil: results of the National Health Survey 2013 and 2019

Abstract

Objective: To compare indicators of tobacco use, secondhand smoke, cessation and exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco media in 2013 and 2019, and to describe these indicators according to sociodemographic variables in 2019. Methods: Cross-sectional study with data from the National Health Survey. The indicators of use, secondhand smoke, cessation and exposure to tobacco-related media were evaluated. Prevalence and confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated for the total population in 2013 and 2019 and according to sociodemographic variables for 2019. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to assess differences in prevalence. Results: There was an improvement in most of the indicators studied: an increase in ex-smokers, a reduction in secondhand smoke and attempts to quit smoking. All pro- and anti-tobacco media exposure indicators declined. When considering the prevalence according to sociodemographic characteristics in 2019, 43.8% (95%CI 41.6–46.0) of men tried to quit smoking, and 50.8% (95%CI 48.5–53.2) of women. Secondhand smoke at home was higher among women (10.2%; 95%CI 9.7–10.8). Among those who thought about quitting smoking because of warnings, the proportion was higher among women (48.0%; 95%CI 45.3–50.6). Tobacco use was higher among men (43.8%; 95%CI 41.6–46.0), in the population aged 40 to 59 years (14.9%; 95%CI 14.2–15.6), with a lower level of education (17.6%; 95%CI 16.8–18.4). Conclusion: The study showed improvement in tobacco-related indicators between the years studied. It is noteworthy that this advance was smaller in relation to the other periods previously analyzed, and therefore, greater investments in public policies to combat and control smoking in Brazil are necessary.

Patterns of Birth Cohort‒Specific Smoking Histories in Brazil

“…Geographic disparities reflect variations in cigarette prices and smoking prevalence across Brazilian states and are worthy of analysis. 8 , 16 The study tells the history of smoking behaviors in Brazil but does not identify which factors led to observed changes. Other research methods should ascertain the effects of policy changes on the trends revealed by this study.…”

“…However, cigarette smoking remains the dominant form of combustible tobacco used in Brazil representing 97.6% of overall smoking prevalence in 2019. 8 …”

“… 3 Because of these hard-won policies, smoking declined from 34.8% in 1989 to 12.6% in 2019. 4 – 8 However, smoking-attributable deaths still make up 14.9% of all deaths among males. 9 Further study of smoking patterns in Brazil is still necessary for several reasons.…”

Differences in determinants of active aging between older Brazilian and English adults: ELSI-Brazil and ELSA

“…Our results are also consistent with reports that 80% of all current smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. Socioeconomic inequalities were also observed within countries towards more socially vulnerable individuals regarding smoking 23 and physical inactivity 24 , possibly due to a lack of resources, social support, and motivation to modify harmful behaviors 24 and higher multimorbidity prevalence. However, behavioral determinants might be modifiable by public policies, and interventions encouraging better lifestyle choices have been reported with a 70% rate of success 25 .…”

Prevalence and factors associated with multimorbidity in adults in Brazil, according to sex: a population-based cross-sectional survey

“…The independent variables included were: sociodemographics [sex, age group ( 34 ), self-declared race/skin color ( 35 ), education ( 36 ), living with a spouse/partner, geographic region ( 37 ), and area of residence ( 37 )]; lifestyle [tobacco use ( 38 ), alcohol abuse ( 39 ), leisure-time physical activity ( 40 ), recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables ( 41 ), ultra-processed food consumption ( 41 ), regular consumption of soft drinks or artificial juices ( 41 ), and nutritional status ( 42 )]. Questions, answer options, operational definitions and, analysis categories are in Supplementary Table S2 .…”