Determinants of cigarette smoking and smoking frequency among women of reproductive age in Nigeria: evidence from a nationwide cross-sectional survey

Background

In the entire world, smoking is a major contributor to preventable deaths and years of life with a disability. Nevertheless, little is known about the factors that influence women's smoking habits. This study evaluated the factors that influence smoking and smoking frequency among Nigerian women of reproductive age.

Methods and materials

This study uses information from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) (n = 41,821). The data were adjusted for sampling weight, stratification, and cluster sampling design. Smoking status and frequency (daily and occasional smoking) were the outcome variables. Women's sociodemographic and household traits were among the predictive variables. To assess the relationship between the outcome and the predictor factors, Pearson's chi-squared test was employed. Complex sample logistics regression was used to further analyze all variables that were significant in bivariate analysis. The p-value cutoff for statistical significance was established at 0.05.

Results

Smoking is 0.3% more common among women who are fertile. There are 0.1% (daily) and 0.2% (sometimes) smokers in the population. Overall, women between the ages of 25 and 34 (AOR = 2.13, 95%CI: 1.06-4.29, = 0.034), living in the South-South region (AOR = 9.45, 95%CI: 2.04-43.72, 0.001), having been previously married (AOR = 3.75, 95%CI: 1.52-9.21, = 0.004), being in households with female heads of household (AOR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1. Age 15 to 24 (AOR = 0.11, 95%CI: 0.02-0.64, = 0.014) was protective of daily smoking among women, but female-headed households (AOR = 4.34, 95%CI: 1.37-13.77, = 0.013) and having been previously married (AOR = 6.37, 95%CI: 1.67-24.24, = 0.007) were inclined to it. Owning a mobile phone increased the likelihood that women would occasionally smoke (AOR = 2.43, 95%CI: 1.17-5.06, = 0.018).

Conclusions

In Nigeria, women of reproductive age smoke seldom and at low prevalence rates. By including these characteristics in interventions aimed at women in Nigeria of reproductive age, women-centred approaches to tobacco prevention and cessation must become evidence-informed.