. "5 Preventing Cancers (and Other Diseases) by Reducing Tobacco Use." Cancer Control Opportunities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007.
The following HTML text is provided to enhance online
readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML.
Please use the page image
as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.
Cancer Control Opportunities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
TABLE 5-1 Estimated Smoking Prevalence (by gender) and Number of Smokers, 15 Years of Age and Over, by World Bank Region, 2000
Smoking Prevalence (percentage)
Total Smokers
World Bank Region
Males
Females
Overall
Millions
Percentage of All Smokers
East Asia and Pacific
63
5
34
429
38
Europe and Central Asia
56
17
35
122
11
Latin America and the Caribbean
40
24
32
98
9
Middle East and North Africa
36
5
21
37
3
South Asia
32
6
20
178
15
Sub-Saharan Africa
29
8
18
56
6
Low and middle income
49
8
29
920
82
High income
37
21
29
202
18
SOURCE: Reprinted, with permission, from Jha et al. (2006). Copyright 2006 by the World Bank.
ratify the FCTC, which requires them to implement its provisions. The evidence supporting the interventions recommended by the FCTC are reviewed later in this chapter. One caveat for this chapter is that the evidence on the effectiveness of interventions is largely from studies and programs in high-income countries. In recent years, some more research has been conducted in LMCs, but overall, the body of this evidence is relatively small. The assumption is made that behavior will be similar in LMCs and high-income countries, but clearly, direct observation and study in those countries is needed to ensure that interventions are working and, if not, new approaches are developed to respond to local conditions.
More than 1.1 billion people worldwide smoke tobacco. Smoking prevalence is highest in Europe and Central Asia (35 percent of adults), but overall, about 82 percent of smokers are in LMCs (Table 5-1) (Jha et al., 2006). Globally, male smoking far exceeds female smoking; the gender difference is smallest in high-income countries.
1
The sections on the effects of tobacco and on interventions are based on Jha et al. (2006), the chapter on tobacco addiction from the report Disease Control Priorities in DevelopingCountries.
