Understanding how cities demographics incite and determine the use of tobacco in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: The alarming usage of tobacco and its detrimental effects on health is a serious concern and smoking is a leading cause of deaths which result in 7 million deaths annually. Authors aimed to examine the driving trend of tobacco usage among adults in Punjab, Pakistan. The axes of this study are to investigate the socio-economic and demographic factors to understand the smoking patterns in Punjab.

Methods: Authors undertook the study by taking cross-sectional household survey; MICS datasets from every district of Punjab by running a logistic regression model.

Results: We find that individuals with higher education and income levels are less likely to smoke, while married individuals and older adults have a higher probability of using tobacco. Additionally, life satisfaction plays a critical role in tobacco usage, with happier individuals having a lower likelihood of smoking. Authors also observed that highly educated, and wealthy females have a higher chance of using tobacco compared to their less educated counterparts.

Conclusion & Recommendations: Authors are not condoning the ways and patterns of smoking but are suggesting that the government must implement targeted anti-smoking policies that consider the unique characteristics of different population sub-groups, with a particular emphasis on increasing education and reducing poverty.