The relationship between proximity of tobacco retail outlets to schools and tobacco use among school personnel in sub-Saharan Africa

• Published in: Preventive medicine Vol. 69; pp. 21 - 27
• Main Authors: Agaku, Israel T, Adisa, Akinyele O, Omaduvie, Uyoyo T, Vardavas, Constantine I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.12.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Advertisements; Africa South of the Sahara - epidemiology; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Cigarettes; Commerce; Faculty - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Odds Ratio; Outlets; Point-of-sale; Prevention and actions; Proximity; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Retail; Schools; Smokeless tobacco; Smoking - epidemiology; Sponsorship; Tobacco; Tobacco, Smokeless - statistics & numerical data; Tobacco, Smokeless - utilization; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa; Africa South of the Sahara; Retail; Sponsorship; Tobacco; Proximity; Cigarettes; Schools; Point-of-sale; Advertisements; Outlets; Smokeless tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Personnel; School environment; Cigarette; Sales; Advertising
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.08.018

Abstract Background We investigated the impact of proximity of tobacco retail outlets to schools on tobacco-related behavior and attitudes of school personnel in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods A pooled analysis of the 2006–2011 Global School Personnel Surveys from 19 sub-Saharan African countries was performed ( n = 12,201). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to measure the relationship between proximity of tobacco outlets to school premises and school personnel's tobacco-related behavior and attitudes ( p < 0.05). Results Among all school personnel, there was a significant association between the presence of tobacco outlets on school premises and current cigarette smoking (adjusted odds ratio [ a OR] = 3.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.17–7.20), current smokeless tobacco use ( a OR = 2.63; 95%CI: 1.04–6.65), and permissiveness towards tobacco industry sponsorship activities in school ( a OR = 2.27; 95%CI: 1.37–3.78). Complete smoke-free school policies were associated with lower odds of current cigarette smoking ( a OR = 0.42; 95%CI: 0.23–0.74), but were not significantly associated with current smokeless tobacco use. Among lifetime any tobacco users, there was a significant association between the presence of tobacco outlets on school premises and use of combustible (aOR = 2.03; 95%CI: 1.09–3.75) and smokeless (aOR = 3.85; 95%CI: 1.51–9.81) tobacco products on campus within the past year. Conclusions Policies limiting the distance of tobacco outlets from schools, coupled with complete tobacco-free school policies may reduce tobacco use among school personnel.