The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The recent increase in tobacco use initiation among women of developing countries got special attention from WHO-FCTC. With tobacco being controlled in developed countries the tobacco industry shift focus to new attractive markets like Asian or Latin American countries as Brazil. In those countries women represent a special promissory market. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of tobacco use among women of 5 Brazilian regions in order to support Brazilian tobacco control measures.

Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in 16 Brazilian cities in, 2002-2003. A total of 23,447 individuals aged 15 years or older were eligible for the analysis. For the analysis, cities were grouped in 5 regions. Prevalence and age-adjusted gender prevalence rate ratio (PRR) was estimated considering the complex sample design.

Results: The prevalence of tobacco use among women systematically increased from the less to the higher developed regions of Brazil, rising from 11.7% (C.I.95% 10.2;13.4) in the North to 20.7% (C.I. 95%19.9;22.5) in the South. The male and female smoking prevalence among the 15-19 years old was the same on the Southeast (PRR 1,05 C.I.95% 0,43;2,55) and South (PRR 1,08 C.I.95% 0.72;1.62), probably reflecting the increase in the initiation among women. The smoking prevalence was higher among women with four or less years of school compared to women with 8 years or more, with a prevalence rate ratio for the five regions of 1.3 (C.I. 95% 1.1;1.6).