TOBACCO SMOKING IN BLACK AND WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS

Abstract

Objectives: To provide data on black and white South Africans' tobacco use status, belief in
the benefits to health of not smoking, risk awareness in terms of knowledge of the links
between smoking and disease, health status, subjective health status and well-being.
Design: Randomised study.
Setting: Two urban communities in the Northern Province of South Africa.
Participants: Two hundred and fifty blacks and 250 whites. The black participants were 100
(40%) men and 150 (60%) women in the age range of 18 to 80 years (mean = 38.9 years,
SD=4.7), and the white participants were 111 (44.4%) men and 139 (55.6%) women in the
age range of 19 to 91 years (mean = 41.8 years, SD=3.5).
Main outcome measures: A measure of smoking, health benefits, risk awareness, health
status, subjective health and subjective well-being.
Results: The average prevalence of current smoking was 11.2% in Blacks, 23.6% in whites,
31.8% in men and 6.9% in women. Age, being male, being white,and being married or living
with a partner were significantly positively associated with smoking status and smoking
frequency. Risk awareness of the negative effects of smoking and the belief in the importance
of not smoking were both significantly negatively associated with both smoking status and
smoking frequency.
Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking tobacco, especially among males and Whites as well
as the low risk awareness of smoking is a cause of concern. Stronger beliefs in the importance
of not smoking, being female and lower age were identified as independent predictors among
non-smokers than smokers.