Prevalence of tobacco use and purchase patterns in 14 low and middle income countries

To set priorities and targets for reducing tobacco use public health professionals need to understand patterns of tobacco use and purchase. We conducted this analysis to examine: 1) the prevalence of use of tobacco products, including both smoked and smokeless, and 2) the most common purchase locations for these products. We used data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), a nationally representative survey of participants aged >15 years, residing in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam. In-person interviews were obtained in the local language. Data for the first wave of GATS were collected between October 1, 2008-March 15, 2010. The sample consisted of current tobacco users who were identified as users of factory manufactured cigarettes (FMC), roll-your-own cigarettes, tobacco pipes, cigars, cheroots, cigarillo, waterpipes or smokeless tobacco products. Most of these countries reported FMC as the most popular type of tobacco product. Prevalence of FMC use among current smokers ranged from 37.4% in India to 98.5% in Russia. In order of highest to lowest, the majority of those who smoked FMC cigarettes purchased them from: 1) stores, 2) kiosks, 3) street vendors, or 4) some other location. Information about tobacco product purchase patterns can help guide researchers in selecting intervention targets. Identification of location of the last FMC purchase among current tobacco users is useful to inform tobacco control policy.