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Smoking Falling Among Brazilian Youth
By Keith R | April 9, 2009
Topics: Tobacco Control | No Comments »
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The consumption of cigarettes among Brazilian youth has fallen more than half in the last 20 years. In 2008, according to the Health Ministry’s (MS) Surveillance of Risk Factors and Protection from Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigilãncia do Fatores de Risco e Proteção Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico – VIGITEL), 14.8% of youths between 18 and 24 years of age smoked. In 1989 a Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) survey found that rate at 29%. The VIGITEL study showed that 10.8% of the youth were ex-smokers.
Deborah Malta, Ministry coordinator for Non-Transmittable Diseases, says that an important part of any tobacco control effort is to avoid getting adolescents and youth into the vice. “Adolescence is the age most common for initiating smoking, and that why it is needed to be attentive to developing public policies to prevent this worrisome habit. As there already exist numerous anti-smoking laws and educative actions, the youth today are less exposed than in the past and thus smoke less.”
The strong tendency is toward quitting tobacco consumption in all age groups. In 1989, according to the National Health and Nutrition Study, 35% of the adult population in Brazil smoked. According to VIGITEL, in 2008 this index fell to 15.2%, being higher among males (19.1%) than females (11.9%). Even though Brazil is among the countries with lower smoking tendencies in the world, the objective is to reduce this number, particularly among young adults and women.
While the study shows that women smoke less than men, the difference in rates between the two used to be far greater. Malta points out that tobacco companies targeted women during the 1960s, associating smoking with the life-style of an independent woman. Currently research shows that the mortality rates for lung, throat and bronchial cancer are rising among women. “The rates are dropping among men and rising among women, reflecting the late arrival of women to the smoking habit.”
Heavy Smokers
For the first time, VIGITEL also shows the the frequency of individuals declaring that they smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day. The percentage of adults that declare intense cigarette consumption is at 4.5%, higher among men (5.8%) than women (3.4%). Among men, the age group with the highest consumption rate is among those 55-64 years old, at 9.8%. The state capital with the lowest percentage of heavy smokers was Salvador, capital of the northeastern state of Bahia, at 2.1% of smokers. The state capital with the highest percentage of men heavy smokers is João Pessoa (Paraíba) at 10.8%; for women heavy smokers it was Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul (RS).
Ex-Smokers
Among adults in the 27 cities studied in VIGITEL, the overall frequency of ex-smokers was 21.8%, with the rate being much higher among men (25.1%) than women (18.9%). There is a significant difference between age groups: among 18-24 year olds, only 10% are ex-smokers, but among those aged 65 or older, the percentage is 53.9%.
Regional Differences
Among state capitals and the Federal District (DF), São Paulo has the highest prevalence of smokers at 21%, followed by Porto Alegre at 19.5%, Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) at 19.3% and Campo Grande (Mato Grosso) at 19%. The survey showed an interesting anomaly in smoking prevalence: in Macapá (Amapá), three times as many men (24.7%) smoke as do women (7.7%).
Percentage of adults (? 18 yrs) smokers, by gender, by state capitals and the Federal District (DF).* VIGITEL, 2008.
|
Capitals / DF
|
Total
|
Males
|
Females
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Aracaju
|
11,9
|
16,6
|
8,1
|
|
Belém
|
13,5
|
19,4
|
8,4
|
|
Belo Horizonte
|
19,3
|
22,5
|
16,5
|
|
Boa Vista
|
17,4
|
23,5
|
11,4
|
|
Campo Grande
|
19,0
|
23,5
|
14,9
|
|
Cuiabá
|
13,6
|
16,8
|
10,7
|
|
Curitiba
|
18,2
|
21,3
|
15,4
|
|
Florianópolis
|
17,6
|
20,1
|
15,4
|
|
Fortaleza
|
11,8
|
17,3
|
7,3
|
|
Goiânia
|
14,1
|
17,1
|
11,4
|
|
João Pessoa
|
12,2
|
19,2
|
6,4
|
|
Macapá
|
16,0
|
24,7
|
7,7
|
|
Maceió
|
9,8
|
13,5
|
6,7
|
|
Manaus
|
13,4
|
20,5
|
6,8
|
|
Natal
|
12,5
|
14,8
|
10,6
|
|
Palmas
|
13,2
|
19,7
|
6,6
|
|
Porto Alegre
|
19,5
|
21,8
|
17,5
|
|
Porto Velho
|
17,9
|
22,0
|
13,9
|
|
Recife
|
10,4
|
11,9
|
9,3
|
|
Rio Branco
|
18,1
|
18,7
|
17,5
|
|
Rio de Janeiro
|
16,6
|
19,0
|
14,6
|
|
Salvador
|
10,0
|
12,5
|
8,0
|
|
São Luís
|
10,1
|
17,0
|
4,4
|
|
São Paulo
|
21,0
|
27,7
|
15,1
|
|
Teresina
|
12,6
|
18,1
|
8,1
|
|
Vitória
|
13,1
|
14,0
|
12,3
|
|
Distrito Federal
|
15,8
|
17,4
|
14,3
|
* Quantity weighted to adjust for socio-demographic distribution of the VIGITEL sample to the distribution of the adult population of the city in the 2000 Population Census.
Source: Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico.
Degree of Confidence: 95%.
Percentage of adults (? 18 yrs) that smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day, by gender, by state capitals and the Federal District (DF).* VIGITEL, 2008.
|
Capitals / DF
|
Total
|
Males
|
Females
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Aracaju
|
4,1
|
7,7
|
1,1
|
|
Belém
|
3,2
|
4,5
|
2,0
|
|
Belo Horizonte
|
7,9
|
9,1
|
6,9
|
|
Boa Vista
|
3,1
|
4,5
|
1,7
|
|
Campo Grande
|
5,6
|
9,6
|
2,0
|
|
Cuiabá
|
4,8
|
7,7
|
2,3
|
|
Curitiba
|
6,1
|
8,4
|
4,2
|
|
Florianópolis
|
5,6
|
6,8
|
4,4
|
|
Fortaleza
|
3,1
|
4,0
|
2,4
|
|
Goiânia
|
5,7
|
7,0
|
4,6
|
|
João Pessoa
|
6,1
|
10,8
|
2,3
|
|
Macapá
|
3,5
|
5,5
|
1,6
|
|
Maceió
|
2,4
|
3,6
|
1,4
|
|
Manaus
|
2,6
|
4,2
|
1,2
|
|
Natal
|
5,3
|
6,9
|
4,0
|
|
Palmas
|
3,3
|
4,4
|
2,2
|
|
Porto Alegre
|
8,2
|
8,3
|
8,1
|
|
Porto Velho
|
4,5
|
4,9
|
4,1
|
|
Recife
|
3,7
|
4,6
|
2,9
|
|
Rio Branco
|
4,6
|
4,8
|
4,5
|
|
Rio de Janeiro
|
5,7
|
7,3
|
4,4
|
|
Salvador
|
2,1
|
2,8
|
1,6
|
|
São Luís
|
2,2
|
4,3
|
0,5
|
|
São Paulo
|
5,4
|
7,1
|
3,9
|
|
Teresina
|
2,7
|
3,2
|
2,3
|
|
Vitória
|
2,2
|
2,7
|
1,8
|
|
Distrito Federal
|
3,8
|
4,7
|
2,9
|
* Quantity weighted to adjust for socio-demographic distribution of the VIGITEL sample to the distribution of the adult population of the city in the 2000 Population Census.
Source: Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico.
Degree of Confidence: 95%.
Percentage of adults (? 18 yrs) ex-smokers, by gender, by state capitals and the Federal District (DF).* VIGITEL, 2008.
|
Capitals / DF
|
Total
|
Males
|
Females
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Aracaju
|
16,1
|
20,3
|
12,7
|
|
Belém
|
23,8
|
29,6
|
18,8
|
|
Belo Horizonte
|
20,2
|
25,5
|
15,8
|
|
Boa Vista
|
23,8
|
27,5
|
20,2
|
|
Campo Grande
|
21,7
|
26,1
|
17,8
|
|
Cuiabá
|
24,6
|
32,1
|
17,6
|
|
Curitiba
|
22,4
|
24,8
|
20,3
|
|
Florianópolis
|
23,6
|
28,8
|
18,8
|
|
Fortaleza
|
25,4
|
25,7
|
25,1
|
|
Goiânia
|
19,9
|
24,8
|
15,5
|
|
João Pessoa
|
23,3
|
25,8
|
21,2
|
|
Macapá
|
26,4
|
32,2
|
20,8
|
|
Maceió
|
21,9
|
26,2
|
18,3
|
|
Manaus
|
24,4
|
29,6
|
19,7
|
|
Natal
|
20,3
|
22,4
|
18,6
|
|
Palmas
|
18,8
|
18,1
|
19,6
|
|
Porto Alegre
|
24,5
|
27,5
|
21,9
|
|
Porto Velho
|
21,5
|
25,7
|
17,5
|
|
Recife
|
20,1
|
24,6
|
16,5
|
|
Rio Branco
|
25,5
|
27,3
|
23,8
|
|
Rio de Janeiro
|
21,1
|
26,0
|
17,1
|
|
Salvador
|
19,9
|
23,7
|
16,8
|
|
São Luís
|
21,7
|
26,1
|
17,9
|
|
São Paulo
|
20,8
|
23,8
|
18,2
|
|
Teresina
|
20,0
|
24,9
|
15,9
|
|
Vitória
|
19,4
|
25,3
|
14,5
|
|
Distrito Federal
|
21,9
|
23,6
|
20,4
|
* Quantity weighted to adjust for socio-demographic distribution of the VIGITEL sample to the distribution of the adult population of the city in the 2000 Population Census.
Source: Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico.
Degree of Confidence: 95%.
Tags: Belo Horizonte, Brasil, Brazil, bronchial cancer, Campo Grande, câncer de brônquio, câncer de pulmão, câncer de traquéia, control de tabaco, ex-smokers, Federal District, Health Ministry, heavy smokers, IBGE, João Pessoa, lung cancer, Macapá, Ministério da Saúde, mortality rate, Porto Alegre, public health, Salvador, São Paulo, saúde pública, smoking, tabagismo, throat cancer, tobacco consumption, Tobacco Control, VIGITEL
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