Current tobacco use and its associated factors among adults in Georgia: findings from Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors STEPS Survey Georgia 2016

• Main Authors: Nino Maglaklelidze, Lela Sturua, Amiran Gamkrelidze, Mariam Maglakelidze
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Publishing 2018-03-01
• Series: Tobacco Induced Diseases
• Subjects: WCTOH
• Online Access: http://www.journalssystem.com/tid/Current-tobacco-use-and-its-associated-factors-among-adults-in-Georgia-findings-from,84218,0,2.html

Background Tobacco surveys of past decades show that tobacco use prevalence is high in Georgia; According to nationwide Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDC) Risk Factors STEPS Survey 2010 30% of adult population are current tobacco users. Another Nationwide Tobacco Survey 2014 reported 28% of tobacco use prevalence among Georgian adults. However, there has been relatively little progress in systematic study of the factors associated with this high tobacco use. The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of tobacco use and its associated sociodemographic, behavioral and environmental factors in Georgia. Methods The current study in Georgia was a population-based STEPS survey of adults aged 18-69. A multi-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for that age range in Georgia. The. A total of 5554 adults participated in the survey. The overall response rate was 75.7%. We assessed sociodemographics, behavioral and other health-related factors. Results The prevalence of current overall tobacco use was 31.1% (95 % CI: 29.0-33.1) which comprised of smoked tobacco use, smoked cigarettes and use of smokeless tobacco, 31.0% (95% 28.9-33.0) smoked tobacco, 29.9 (95% CI: 27.9-32.0) smoked cigarettes and 0.3 (95% CI: 0.0-0.6) use of smokeless tobacco. Smoking prevalence was significantly higher in men 57.1% (95% CI: 53.7-60.4) compared to women 7.1% (95% CI: 5.9-8.4), especially in younger age groups and with other substance abuse history (predominantly alcohol). Conclusions Despite of some efforts in the field of tobacco control, tobacco use (particularly smoking) was high in Georgia. Males, younger age groups, and population with addictions to other substances (especially alcohol) should be the primary target of behavioral interventions; The stricter implementation of tobacco control measures, including comprehensive ban of tobacco marketing and smoking in public places, improved health warnings on tobacco packages and anti-tobacco communication campaigns can have a significant positive impact on reducing growing tobacco epidemics in Georgia.