Awareness of the risk of cigarette smoking among patients in North East Nigeria

Abstract

Background: There is paucity of information about awareness of the risks of cigarette smoking in Northern Nigeria.
Objective: To determine patients' smoking habits and their awareness of the risk of cigarette smoking.
Method: Cross-sectional hospital-based survey carried out between November 2005 and January 2006 on adult Nigerians attending medical outpatient clinics of the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri. Each patient completed a questionnaire on smoking habits and associated risk.
Results: One thousand two hundred and thirty-two patients comprising 805 men and 427 women were recruited into the study. Of the total respondents, 1074 (87.2%) were non-smokers, leaving 158 (12.8%) smokers comprising 4 females and 154 men. A majority of respondents were unaware of the effects of cigarette smoking.
Conclusion: The level of knowledge of the risks of smoking was very low in the study population. A response to the public health problem of tobacco therefore needs to be intensified.


Sahel Medical Journal Vol. 10 (1) 2007: pp. 29-33